


Mental Bonds

by CrossingTheFourthWall



Series: Mental Connections [2]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: (when he shows up), (will add more tags/characters as we go along here), Gen, Hojo's gonna get kicked in the teeth at some point, Keeping Sephiroth sane, Telepathy, and so will Jenova, mental link au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:33:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28243962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrossingTheFourthWall/pseuds/CrossingTheFourthWall
Summary: Tifa Lockhart knew Cloud Strife was going to reappear on the planet at some point, five years after they'd parted ways. She just wasn't expecting him to show up in Midgar of all places.Except that he's different from what he was as a child -- and while Tifa is aware of why, the answer is much more than she knows.But he's there in Midgar, and he's willing to help AVALANCHE with their plots against the reactors. Whatever happens from there...well, Shinra isn't going to be prepared for the storm the planet has prepared for them.And Hojo is definitely not prepared for his pre-Angeal/Genesis civil war project to come back to haunt him with a vengeance.
Series: Mental Connections [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1853272
Comments: 52
Kudos: 64





	1. Welcome to Midgar

**Author's Note:**

> ...I know I said I'd wait to post this until February, but Sephiroth appearing in Smash changed my mind.
> 
> Consider this first chapter an Early Christmas Present, and a promise that I am, in fact, working on this glorious AU that I've cooked up. The rest will come next year at the time that I'd originally planned.
> 
> I'm in the midst of writing chapter 10, so I can afford to do this without losing too much of a lead on you guys.

The dark-haired young woman closed and locked the doors of the building behind her, then turned and stepped to the edge of the porch. She looked up, past the edge of the roof, and sighed at the dark expanse above her head.

Even after living here for five years, looking up at a giant steel plate still felt suffocating.

“I miss the rain,” Tifa murmured with a sigh. She shook her head, then started down the stairs off the porch. While Seventh Heaven had started to become like a second home to her, she didn’t exactly have a place to sleep inside the tavern. “One of these days I should just…take a day and go out to Kalm, just so I can feel the sun again. Maybe catch a good rainstorm that makes me stay there an extra day.”

A small smile crossed her face at the thought, but it was short-lived. “Like I can get away from Midgar _now._ ”

Tifa shook the thought out of her head and kept walking. She had other things to worry about besides what was keeping her here. Like walking back to her apartment and getting some actual sleep before she had to open the tavern again in the morning.

“Busy night, Tifa?” called a voice from a lit, ramshackle building nearby. “This has got to be the latest I’ve seen you close.”

“I’ve been open later before, Wymer,” Tifa called back. “Are you waiting for a final monster count?”

“And keeping the Neighborhood Watch running for another hour before we turn in.” The man tapped the side of his head with a knowing look. “If you get any free time, we’d appreciate your help.”

“I can’t leave my tavern unattended and you know it,” Tifa replied. “I’d need some consistent extra hands before I could think about that.”

Wymer laughed “At least you’re thinking about it, and that’s all I ask.”

Tifa nodded back, then kept going.

The two-story apartment building was a welcoming sight. Marle wasn’t outside watching for her return, but Tifa couldn’t help but feel the old woman’s eyes on her as she climbed the stairs to the second floor, and Room 201. The place really felt like home.

She put her hand on the doorknob and paused at a flicker of movement in the corner of her eye. “Kunsel, do you mind?”

A chuckle, and a young man stepped out of the shadows. Even at night under the plate, he wore a hat and sunglasses to obscure his features. The sheepish smirk on his face was still familiar, though, and was going to remain that way unless he thought to cover his mouth with a scarf. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist giving you a test.”

“It’s not really all that much of a test anymore. Not after Vincent left us alone two years ago.” Tifa opened the door to her apartment. “Do you want to come in, or…?”

Kunsel shook his head. “Just checking in before I turn in. Didn’t want to bother you too much.”

“Well, you have my attention now, so if you have anything to say, we might as well do it in private.” Tifa motioned to the open door. “Come on.”

Kunsel hesitated, but when Tifa motioned again and stepped inside herself, Kunsel chuckled quietly and followed after her, stepping into the middle of the small, one-room apartment as Tifa turned on the lights and closed the door behind them.

“You really haven’t lightened up the place any since I was last here,” Kunsel remarked as he turned to take in the space. Drab, gray walls met his hidden gaze. “Haven’t a few posters ever caught your eye?”

“Not really. Most of them have been for things to do with Shinra, or some of the goings-on in Sector 6.” Tifa dropped onto the bed and folded her arms. “You don’t show up unless you think I need to know something, Kunsel. Are you going to tell me where you’ve been this time?”

Kunsel hummed. “Maybe. Some of the places I’ve been aren’t exactly friendly to people outside of Shinra, though.” He walked over and leaned against the wall near the head of Tifa’s bed, and the smirk dropped into a frown. “There are still rumors going around about people in suits who act like Turks but aren’t _actually_ Turks, but they aren’t as common as they used to be. At least we know that Valentine is doing what he said he was going to.”

Tifa nodded. “I don’t think that’s ever going to stop. Turks are too good of a place to go looking for _rumors,_ though, aren’t they?”

The knowing smirk that crossed Tifa’s face didn’t get so much as a snort from Kunsel, but she knew he was rolling his eyes at her behind the sunglasses.

“I’ve been leaving them alone,” Kunsel pointed out. “I don’t spread rumors anymore, I just listen for them. I only spread them before to keep SOLDIER on its toes. Now that I’m no longer with them, I can focus on other things.”

Tifa nodded. “Anything you’ve heard that I should be worried about?”

“Probably not. Don Corneo is constantly on the lookout for a new bride, though, so I wouldn’t recommend you wander into Wall Market anytime soon. He likes making people disappear a bit too much.”

“Duly noted.” Tifa inclined her head at Kunsel, wondering if there was going to be anything else.

Kunsel inclined his head at Tifa’s head tilt, then sighed quietly. “Don’t get your hopes up, but…there’s been rumors coming in from Kalm and some of the smaller farms nearby. Strange travelers coming through.”

Tifa frowned. “What kind of strange travelers would get my hopes up about anything?”

“It’s been five years, Tifa.” Kunsel’s unseen eyes stared into hers. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about why we ended up here in the first place.”

Tifa pulled back slightly. “I haven’t, don’t – wait.” Her eyes flickered between Kunsel and the old, worn cowboy hat on the small coat rack. The rack had been one of her first purchases after arriving in Midgar, but the hat….

Tifa leaned forward. “Are you saying that you think they’re…?”

“Maybe. It could just be another group of strangers from beyond the marsh that no one around here’s seen before, but…” Kunsel paused, then leaned forward conspiratorially. “They’ve said two of them carry giant swords on their backs, and the third has silver hair.”

Tifa’s breath hitched. “You don’t think—”

“The thought of _anyone_ dying their hair silver in honor of Sephiroth has fallen to the wayside, unless it’s the anniversary of the …incident.” Kunsel grimaced. “It seems Shinra still can’t think up anything better to call it, but better that than nothing.”

Tifa nodded. “Two people carrying giant swords, though…I remember Zack had one, but…but Cloud never—”

“No, he didn’t. But it’s been a while. A lot can change in a few years.”

“But, then…how long were they….” Tifa thought back to the last time she had seen Cloud, in the tunnels beneath Banora, then pushed the thought from her mind with a shake of her head. “Do you think they’re coming here?”

“I don’t know.” Kunsel shrugged. “There are a lot of what-ifs about these travelers that we don’t know yet. We’ll have to wait and see if they come to Midgar, but we’ve got other things to worry about here that will keep us busy. Like that plan your group has that’s coming in a week or two.”

“Of course you’d know about that,” Tifa muttered.

“I work with you in that bar. It’s hard _not_ to hear them when I come in and that leader of yours is giving some loudly passionate speech. I’m not gonna _say_ anything, but I wish you had found a different way to make the reactors a non-issue.”

“Barret is a loud and passionate guy when it comes to the planet.” Tifa shrugged. “There’s…not a lot I can do to make him lower his volume, not really. Besides, Jessie tried to sweet talk a few Shinra troopers once. It didn’t end well.”

Kunsel chuckled. “Yeah, I bet not.”

“Is there anything else you wanted to tell me? Or is warning me about those ‘strange travelers’ the only thing that was on your mind?”

“They were the _big_ thing, to be sure. I’ll keep watching Shinra for anything obvious about the reactors, but I wouldn’t keep your hopes up about them not noticing anything. Shinra’s become nothing more than a bunch of paranoid conspirators who are willing to pin the blame on anyone other than themselves for events they caused. Especially after the AVALANCHE incident that hit the Sector 6 plate a couple years back.” Kunsel moved away from the wall and started towards the door. “Just remember to keep on your toes and stay a little quieter in that basement, and I’ll do what I can to keep them off your tails. I’m not as limited as I could be because I’m _dead_ according to Shinra, but there’s probably some strings I won’t be able to pull easily.”

“Be careful,” Tifa told him. “We kinda still need you, even if you aren’t officially a part of AVALANCHE.”

Kunsel paused at the door, then looked back. A flicker of a smile crossed his face. “Hey, no worries. As far as they’ll know, I’m nothing more than a bundle of rumors in a coat.”

Tifa laughed quietly and watched as Kunsel stepped out of her apartment. As soon as the door closed, that small smile dropped, and Tifa started to prepare herself for sleep.

While her body was tired and ready for rest, however, sleep was now the _last_ thing on her mind. She found herself spiraling back to four and a half years ago, when she hadn’t reached Midgar yet, and when she had been attempting to make sense of a world that no longer had Nibelheim in it.

She remembered the last time she’d seen Cloud, carried on her martial arts teacher’s back as he suffered from the effects of mako poisoning, comatose and unaware of the world around him.

And Zack and….

Tifa shook the thought from her mind. “They could just be strangers who have no connection to them at all. Imagining seeing them again won’t do me any good right now. I have to stay focused.”

She had a bar to run. Thinking about what-ifs and could-bes would only become a terrible distraction that her patrons would notice. Tifa was going to need a good night’s sleep, and she wasn’t going to get that if she thought there was a chance of Cloud walking through Seventh Heaven’s swinging front doors on his own two feet, no longer trapped in a sleeping body.

That particular thought did its best to stay with her as she settled into bed for the night. Cloud, the unconscious soldier who had managed to somehow survive Nibelheim, who hadn’t been awake to see it burn to the ground like she had.

Did he know, wherever he was? How was she going to tell him if he didn’t?

He was going to be devastated if he learned about what had happened to his mother.

That thought alone was enough to keep Tifa tossing and turning all night.

\----

The next morning, Tifa woke up extremely tired after having slept very little. But she had a schedule to keep and couldn’t sleep in, no matter how much she might have wanted to.

She hit the shower first thing for a proper cold blast of water in order to wake herself up, then grabbed some clean clothes and other basic amenities before leaving her apartment for the bar.

A familiar old woman with a bushy ponytail of white hair waved at Tifa as she came down the stairs. “Good morning!” She frowned. “You don’t look like you slept well last night. Having trouble, Tifa?”

“No more than usual.” Tifa tried to play off the concern she was getting. “I’m fine, Marle. Really. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Hm.” Marle’s eyes narrowed. “I hope I don’t have to. But if you’re having any trouble at all, you know who to call, right, my dear?”

“I do, Marle. Don’t worry.” Tifa laughed, but the sound was shaky as she turned and started down the path to the tavern.

It was early enough in the morning that at least some people were out of their homes, going to work or setting up shop in their stores for the sake of that day’s sales. People always needed potions and weapons, after all.

“I should ask Jessie when that next batch of filters is going to be ready,” Tifa remarked as she reached Seventh Heaven. There wasn’t anyone loitering around the entrance this morning, but that was mostly because of the wall of a man standing in front of the entrance.

“Morning, Tifa!”

“Good morning, Barret.” Tifa smiled up at the large man with a sense of relief. At least she wasn’t going to be overwhelmed at her work. “Sleep well?”

“Me an’ Marlene slept just fine!” Barret grinned. “Everythin’s still set up from how it was last night. Haven’t touched a thing this morning.”

Tifa sighed in relief. “Good, good. I don’t want to be accidentally set back when the lunch hour rushes in.”

Barret stepped aside with a nod, allowing Tifa to walk into Seventh Heaven before him. “Think you can get a pot of coffee goin’? Kinda feel like I need a little pick-me-up after last night.”

Tifa knew Barret wasn’t just asking for himself. “Yeah, I’ll get it set up. Are you going to help me with orders this morning, or do you have something else you want to be doing?”

“Well, Marlene’s gonna be out with her friends for a few hours, so I was plannin’ on maybe helpin’ the watch or keepin’ an eye out for anythin’ terrible near the kids.” Barret lowered his sunglasses and eyed Tifa over them. “Unless you really need my help around here.”

“It’s not even noon yet, Barret. I doubt that anyone’s going to be drinking enough to start a bar fight this early. And even then, if it’s just Johnny causing trouble again, I can kick him out on my own without any problems.” Tifa raised a fist and grinned a little. “I’ve done it before, remember?”

Barret chuckled. “That you have. All right. If you need any help, just holler for any one of us, all right? I doubt that any of us’ll be too far out of earshot.”

“Will do, Barret.”

Tifa nodded to Barret, then closed the distance between her and the bar as Barret walked off the porch and down the street. He had things that he wanted to do, especially if he was going to be watching Marlene. His daughter was the light of his life, and he had to make sure she was safe. Which was why he was working towards using AVALANCHE to take the reactors out of the picture.

“All right. Another day, another round of orders.” Tifa stepped behind the bar and quietly prepped a few glasses for drinks, then ducked into the kitchen and started grabbing ingredients as she threw a few dishes she’d made the night before into the oven. She got the coffee going while she was at it, although a part of her knew she wasn't going to be drinking from it for a while.

The tavern’s doors blew open. “Tifa, baby! Hit me up!”

Tifa stuck her head out of the kitchen as a familiar redhead strode up to the bar. “Johnny! Anything you have in mind today?”

“My usual’s just fine!” Johnny chirped. “I need some liquid courage for today. I wanna join the Neighborhood Watch.”

“Do you?” Tifa reached under the counter for the generic beer that Johnny preferred. It wasn’t too cheap, but it wasn’t the most expensive thing she had, either. “It would be good if you did. They’re always looking for extra hands. I’m sure you’ll do well there.”

“Y-yeah, I hope so.” Johnny grinned, but the smile was shaky at best. “It’s why I need me some liquid courage, ya know?”

“Something like that can only take you so far, though.” Tifa poured out the glass and passed it over to him. “I hope I don’t see you coming in here every morning drinking yourself silly before patrol.”

“Of course not! I only need it for the first day. What do you take me for?” Johnny laughed, but it was shaky. He quickly cut himself off by drinking deeply from his glass.

Tifa held back a sigh, but she shook her head. Johnny may be accepted into the Neighborhood Watch, but he probably wasn’t going to be able to last for too long, if he was going to drink of his ‘liquid courage’ before he decided to try and fight monsters. “Take it easy, Johnny. Wymer likes having people with level heads when they’re on duty.”

“No worries, no worries. I know what I’m doing.” Johnny finished his glass. “Can I have another? For luck?”

“Can you pay for another?” Tifa asked, not unkindly.

“Sure, I can! I won’t have a problem with doing something like that.” Johnny held the glass out, giving a nervous smile. “You know me, Tifa. I’ve been able to pay every time I’ve come in here.”

Tifa held back her worried frown as she poured Johnny another glass. “All right. But I’m not giving you any more unless you have something to eat as well. I’ve got some prepared meals warming up, so you’ll have some options in about fifteen minutes.”

“Sweet! I haven’t had breakfast yet. I’d love to have some of your delicious cooking.”

“Then don’t ask me for any more drinks until after you’ve eaten something in fifteen,” Tifa replied.

Seventh Heaven’s doors opened again, and two familiar figures stepped inside. One large, the other thin, and both with red bandannas tied around their heads.

“Morning, Tifa,” greeted the skinner of the two. “Just setting up?”

“For the moment, Biggs,” Tifa replied. “You’re going to have to wait a while if you want breakfast, if you _also_ want me to give you drinks right now.”

“If you could whip something up, that’d be great!” The larger of the two pulled himself onto a bar stool. “I’ve been hungry since breakfast!”

“You had breakfast an hour ago, Wedge.” Biggs nudged Wedge in the shoulder. “You can wait another hour or two.”

Tifa laughed. “I don’t mind it, Biggs. Just wait here, all right? Shouldn’t take me more than a few minutes to put something together.”

“Thanks, Tifa!” Wedge exclaimed in delight. “I’m looking forward to it!”

Tifa nodded, then ducked into the kitchen and started looking around for something that she could give to Wedge as a half-decent breakfast. Putting this together was going to take a while, especially since Wedge was a walking, near-bottomless stomach.

At least Wedge and Biggs were going to keep an eye on Johnny while they were waiting for her to finish making breakfast. She could trust her fellow AVALANCHE members to keep him in check until she could step back behind the bar again.

“Hey, Tifa, where’s the guy who’s helped you out back there before?” Biggs called. “You can’t run this whole place by yourself if we get a lunch rush you can’t keep up with.”

“He works part time here,” Tifa called back. “I can’t rely on him to be here all the time, no matter how busy I get here. He’ll turn up if he’s in the area.”

Kunsel did have a good habit of turning up when she needed him most, for the most part. Some days he never did show up, and she was swamped with orders for drinks and food, but for the most part he was good at giving her a hand.

Something told her she was going to have to take care of everything by herself this time around, however.

“If you need someone from the Watch to start working here when he isn’t, I’m sure some of the guys would appreciate the extra income,” Biggs remarked.

“Maybe. I’ll have to think about it.” Tifa tilted her head slightly. “I’m going to need someone who can keep up with all the requests for food, _and_ have the different drinks on the menu memorized so that they can be made at a moment’s notice, especially if I end up under the weather or one reason or another. Having someone who comes in to work only because he wants free drinks or a free meal isn’t something that I would call ideal.”

She could almost hear Johnny slump against the counter. If he wanted to try his hand at working here, he could – she always needed someone to do the dishes – and the rest of her work requests really were reasonable. Johnny was earnest, she would give him that, but…

“Come on, Tifa, you make it sound like no one else is gonna be able to work here with you!” Johnny whined.

…well, she wasn’t sure she could handle him attempting to _flirt_ with her for the entire time he was on shift.

“You won’t know until you try,” Tifa called back. “Although, I should warn you, I can be a harsh taskmaster for anyone who wants to have a go at my kitchens.”

She finished with the bacon and scrambled eggs she’d managed to scrounge up, then checked on the meals she’d thrown into the oven. They were cooking nicely, and it looked like she could pull them out soon.

Johnny merely groaned as Tifa brought out Wedge’s requested meal and put it in front of him.

“So, Biggs, Wedge, got any requests?”

“Water’s fine this morning,” Biggs replied. “I need to keep my mind sharp if I’m going to be patrolling with the watch this morning.”

Johnny stiffened, then looked down at his empty glass. Tifa wondered if Biggs had overheard anything Johnny was saying before he and Wedge had stepped inside.

“Yeah!” Wedge stabbed his fork into the eggs and stuffed about half of them into his mouth. “Gotta keep my energy up, too!”

It was only because of Tifa’s knowledge of Wedge and her friendship with him that she was able to understand what he was saying through the mouthful of eggs. “That is the idea. Biggs, do you want a pick-me-up?”

“Nah, I should be fine until lunch. As tempting as that smells, I don’t have any room for it right now.” Biggs grinned a little sheepishly.

“Well, if you want anything, you know where to find me.”

“Yup. Hope you have a somewhat quiet day today – wouldn’t do you any good if you got into a rush, especially if you ran out of anything.”

“I’m pretty sure that I’m well-stocked this morning.” Tifa paused and tilted her head. “Although…hang on…I _think_ I might be getting a shipment from above plate for some more supplies this morning. I should’ve gone to check at the train station before coming to the bar, or sent Barret to go get it.”

Johnny perked up. “I could get it for you, Tifa! You can leave it to me, and—”

“Thanks, but no. I’ve got it handled.”

“We could go and get it.” Wedge looked up from his cleared plate. “That way, you wouldn’t have to leave the bar at all this morning.”

“I’d appreciate it, but the shipment’s supposed to be signed off by me. I don’t think _they’d_ appreciate it if I sent a proxy after picking it up myself so many times.” Tifa frowned. “This could be a problem…”

“It’s not the first time I’ve looked after the bar for you,” Biggs offered. “I could do it again, for as long as it takes you to go to the train station and back. It’s not _that_ far from here.”

“You’d be willing to do that?”

“I’d consider it an honor.” Biggs grinned. “And I can keep an eye on Wedge and make sure that he doesn’t eat everything in your kitchen.”

“Hey!” Wedge pouted.

Tifa got the feeling they wanted to keep an eye on more than just each other and the bar. She didn’t need to look at Wedge to know he was looking at Johnny as he slumped against the bar. “I’d appreciate it a _lot._ Thank you so much, Biggs – I owe you one.”

“Let’s just say you owe us Wedge’s meal and call it even,” Biggs replied. “Go on – get going. I bet that shipment’s waiting for you at the station right now.”

Tifa nodded, then grabbed her wallet off the counter behind the bar and ran for the porch. “Don’t forget to take the casseroles out of the oven! They should be ready in a minute!”

“I’ve got it!” Biggs called back as the doors closed behind her.

Running to the train station was no problem for Tifa. Not only was the station not far from Seventh Heaven, but she was able to get there without running out of breath. People on the street knew to step out of her way in order to avoid being run over by the speeding bartender with fists tougher than their own skulls.

She made it to the station and sighed with relief when she saw a train attendant standing with three crates by his feet on the platform. “Hello! Sorry I’m later than usual – I completely forgot I had a shipment coming in.”

The attendant looked up at her voice and visibly relaxed as Tifa came to a stop. “Oh, good. I was a bit concerned that something had happened. You’re usually here right as the train arrives!”

“Yeah, sorry. I’ve had a lot on my mind recently.” Tifa held up her wallet. “How much do I—”

“Just the shipping costs.” The attendant shrugged. “Not sure why, but that’s the notice we got.”

Tifa blinked. “Really? Huh. Considering it’s coming from above plate, I’d have thought they would charge me full price like usual. I wonder if it’s because I order this from their stock so often.”

She opened her wallet and pulled out a small number of bills, with coin-like designs on them. Gil was, generally, handed around in _actual_ coins, but the upper plate folks tended to prefer paper money to metal. Tifa held onto what few bills she had in case of transactions like this.

The attendant took the money and put it away in a small pouch at his waist, then knocked something off the clipboard in his other hand. “All right; you’re all set. Do you have anyone to help you carry all of these or—”

“I think I can handle it.” Tifa looked down at the three crates, then stacked one on top of another in order to assess its weight. A frown flickered across her face for a moment, but she didn’t let it stay there for long.

_I can handle two at once, but the third—_

“Let me help.”

The voice that spoke up wasn’t the attendant’s, but it the young man’s voice was familiar _enough_ that it sent a chill down Tifa’s spine. She looked away from the crates to see who had spoken.

The young man was wearing an off-color version of the uniform Shinra’s SOLDIERs wore, with dark blue pants that were _almost_ black, and a purple, sleeveless turtleneck with shoulder guards that had spikes screwed into them. It was easy to see that his arms were well-built and could handle any sort of heavy lifting. The handle peeking up from behind his shoulder was more than a suggestion of the giant sword that was somehow strapped to his back.

It wasn’t the outfit that set alarm bells off in Tifa’s head, however – it was the man’s _himself._

Blond hair, which spiked up in all directions in the front, but was tied into a ponytail that disappeared behind his back. A familiarly shaped face, with blue eyes that glowed with more power and energy than Tifa was used to seeing in them.

Tifa felt almost week in the knees. It had been _so long_ since she had seen him.

“ _Cloud?”_

The young man offered a small smile for a brief moment. “Hey, Tifa.”


	2. Attempts to Catch Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The time has come to start posting chapters weekly! :D Thanks for your patience while we waited for the date that I promised.
> 
> Current plan is to post once a week on Fridays, but if I get enough of a gap between myself and you guys, I may reconsider that and up it to twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays, like I did last time.

Tifa was lucky she didn’t have anything in her hands, because she would have dropped it on seeing Cloud.

Instead, she nearly bowled him over as she grabbed him in a hug, making him grunt in surprise.

Tifa didn’t let him go for a long moment as she got her arms around him. Cloud felt stronger than he had when she’d last seen him, and not just because he was standing on his own two feet or carrying a large sword on his back. She pulled back to look him in the eyes, observing the blue-green glow that now sat in them, rather than the clear sky blue they had once been. “Where have you – when did you _get_ here? When did you get up?”

“Just today,” Cloud said. Tifa wasn’t sure if that answered both questions, so she assumed it was just the first. There was no way he could be _this_ coherent after waking up from a coma _today_. “I…wasn’t expecting to run into you.”

“You _weren’t?”_ Tifa frowned. “Why weren’t you?”

“Well—”

The train station attendant cleared his throat. “Tifa, are you going to…?” He motioned to the three crates between them.

“Oh, right! Sorry about that.” Tifa gave him a somewhat sheepish smile before looking back at Cloud. “Want to help me carry these? We can walk and talk.”

“Sure.” Cloud moved to pick up the two crates that Tifa had stacked on top of each other.

“Cloud, I can—”

“Nah, I got it.” Cloud grunted as he hefted the crates up into his arms. Tifa could see that there was more muscle on him than there used to be. He was no longer the scrawny teenager who had left Nibelheim with the intent of becoming like his idol, Sephiroth.

“Where to?” Cloud looked around the crates with an expectant expression.

“Ah, right!” Tifa picked up the last crate. “It’s this way. We’re going to the bar Seventh Heaven. It’s not far from here.”

“A bar?” Cloud blinked.

“Yeah. I’ve owned it for the last couple years.” Tifa frowned at him. “Why do you ask?”

Cloud blinked again, then shook his head. “Didn’t think you’d ever own a bar. It’s…it’s different.”

“I hope that’s a good different.” Tifa stepped off the train platform as Cloud fell into step with her. “It’s good to see you, Cloud. I didn’t think that I would ever get to. When I last saw you, you….”

Tifa’s thoughts trailed for a moment, to a flash of bright green and hardened mako.

“You look a lot better than when I last saw you,” Tifa offered instead. “What are you doing in Midgar?”

“I’ve got my reasons. Thinking about being a mercenary.”

“A mercenary?” That couldn’t the only reason that Cloud was in Midgar, especially considering what Tifa remembered. “You could have been one out in Kalm, or in Wutai. You didn’t have to come _here._ What if someone is actively looking for you? And what about—”

“We knew there were risks in coming back, but there’s something we have to do.” Cloud sounded slightly annoyed as he spoke over Tifa. He glanced around at the people passing them by as they walked towards the bar.

“So, they’re here, too?” Tifa frowned at Cloud.

Cloud’s expression shifted slightly at the question. For a moment, Tifa thought she saw Cloud’s eyes flicker a shade greener, but they went back to normal as he blinked. “I don’t think I should talk about it here.”

“Later, then. I’ve got an apartment nearby at Stargazer Heights that’s pretty private. If you need a room there, I can talk the landlady into giving you one for a good deal. The fact that you’re my friend is going to mean something to her.”

“I…thanks.”

A passerby waved to get Tifa’s attention. “Hey, Tifa! Is that the recent delivery of the good stuff from up top?”

“Yup!” Tifa nodded back. “I was a little late in getting it this morning, but it’ll be ready and waiting when I get it unboxed!”

“Awesome! I’ve been hoping that you’d get a new shipment in soon!” The passerby grinned and ran off.

“Sounds like you’re pretty popular,” Cloud remarked. The crates shifted in his arms as he adjusted his grip on them.

Tifa laughed. “I’m the only bar in Sector 7, of course I’m popular. Come on, It’s not much further.”

It didn’t take them long to close the distance to the bar. Groups were starting to move up and down the street towards the bar, and Tifa nodded at them in greeting before stepping up the stairs.

“Come on, Cloud. You can drop them off behind the counter – lunch is on me.” She stopped on top of the stairs.

Cloud frowned. “You don’t have to—”

“I insist.” Tifa sent Cloud a pointed look. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to see you, Cloud. Let me do this.”

Cloud’s frown shifted, but remained for a long moment. Then he sighed heavily and nodded. “All right. Fine.”

Tifa nodded. “Good.” She leaned back against the swinging doors behind her and stepped into the bar, Cloud following after her. “Biggs, I’m back! How did you handle things while I was gone?”

“Well enough!” Biggs called back. He handed a drink off to a customer, who went back to one of the almost-crowded tables. “The lunch rush is starting, though, and it definitely looks like you’re going to be needing some help. You don’t mind if I stick around for a bit, do you?”

“And have Wedge potentially eat all of my supplies?” Tifa looked over at where the man in question was still sitting at the bar. “You two have something that you need to do, don’t you? You’re a part of the Neighborhood Watch.”

“If Wymer needs us, he’ll give us a call,” Wedge spoke up. He blinked. “Hey, uh, who’s the guy with you? I haven’t seen anybody who looked like _him_ before.”

“This is Cloud. We grew up together, but it’s been a few years since I’ve last seen him.” Tifa reached the bar and moved behind it, Cloud following after her. “I ran into him when I was grabbing the shipment from the train station, which was a really nice surprise. Cloud, these two are Biggs and Wedge – they’re friends of mine, and part of the Neighborhood Watch.”

“Neighborhood Watch?” Cloud raised an eyebrow. He saw Tifa put her box down behind the counter and followed suit with the two he was carrying.

“We’re a group of volunteers that help keep the streets clear of monsters that live out in the junkyard, among other things,” Biggs explained. “Sometimes the locals give us things in return for clearing out requests they make, like teaching them to defend themselves. Tifa—”

“You can stay and help if you want to, Biggs, but I’m going to have to ask Wedge to _not_ get any free meals while we’re dealing with the lunch rush,” Tifa said.

“Aw, come on, Tifa!” Wedge leaned against the counter and looked at her with a pleading expression. _“Please?_ I promise I won’t take so many helpings this time! You’re cooking’s too good to simply leave it be and _not_ eat it!”

“I need that food for the customers…speaking of, I’d better get to cooking.” Tifa turned and started moving towards the kitchen. “Biggs, you can handle taking orders from customers and keep mixing some of the drinks I taught you, right?”

“Sure.” Biggs nodded. “Should be easy.”

“Anything I could help with?”

Tifa turned and blinked at Cloud. “You…really? I thought you said you wanted to get mercenary work.”

“I can look into that when you’re not so busy.” Cloud shrugged.

“Mercenary work?” Biggs repeated. He glanced at Tifa with a curious look, then back at Cloud. “You’re looking for a job, then.”

Tifa’s mind whirled. “Cloud, could you go into the kitchen and wash the dishes for me while I’m cooking?”

“Sure.” Cloud moved past them – giving Biggs a guarded look as he went – and disappeared into the kitchen.

As soon as Cloud was gone, Tifa turned to look at Biggs. “What are you thinking, exactly?”

“I’m thinking the Neighborhood Watch could use him,” Biggs replied evenly. “It’d help him gain a bit of a reputation among us, too, especially if he’s going to be looking for work. A good reputation means more money, more interest….” He gave her a meaningful look as he trailed off. “And maybe the right kind of attention from the right kind of people.”

“Hey, Tifa!” came a shout from one of the tables. “Can you get us a round of the good stuff that just came in?”

“Sure thing!” Tifa called back. She frowned at Biggs. “Are you thinking about pulling him in?”

“Maybe? I’d like to see his character first, though. I know he’s a friend of yours and all, but like you said, friends change.” Biggs reached for a crowbar behind the counter and started to work at opening the crates that Tifa had brought in. “I’d like to see for myself just what it is that someone with a fluffy name like ‘Cloud’ is capable of.”

“His family name is Strife.” Tifa started pulling bottles from the first open crate. “And he can fight. He spent a lot of time fighting when we were kids. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s gotten better since then.”

She thought about how Cloud’s arms looked now, rather than how they’d once been. There was more muscle on his bones than there used to be, that was certain.

“Hm.” Biggs didn’t entirely look convinced as Tifa finished gathering the beer bottles she’d need for the table that had asked for them. “Well, I’ll take your word into consideration, at least.”

“Johnny said he’d been thinking about joining the Neighborhood Watch, too. Did he talk to you about that when I left?”

“Nope.” Biggs shrugged. “He just slunk off not long after you left.”

“Huh.” Tifa frowned. “I could have sworn he was planning on talking to you about it.” She shrugged. “He’ll probably find you later and ask about it.”

“Probably, yeah.”

Tifa stepped away from the bar and handed out the requested drinks and took the customers’ orders. She returned, gave Biggs the drink orders, and ducked into the kitchen to set to work on putting together the requested meals. She almost blinked in surprise when she saw Cloud almost elbow-deep in the sink, washing dishes.

Tifa shook her head at the sight and stepped into the kitchen and started grabbing ingredients. “We _have_ to catch up, Cloud.”

“Not here.”

“Of course not, but –” Tifa sighed heavily. “I want to get answers, Cloud. You…the last time I saw you….”

The kitchen fell silent for a little while, with Tifa throwing together ingredients for quick meals that she kept on her menu.

“I woke up a couple months ago.”

Tifa caught herself before she could accidentally cut her fingers from shock. “What? A couple _months?”_

Cloud nodded. He removed a washed pot from the sink and put it on the drying rack next to him. “We decided to move to Midgar a couple weeks ago, but we only just got here today. There’s something that we have to do.”

“And you’re going to find a way to do that by becoming a mercenary and looking for hired work?” Tifa asked. “That’s an interesting choice.”

Cloud shrugged.

Tifa sighed, then grabbed the cleaned pot and filled it water from the faucet. “Well, if you’re looking for work, I’d recommend starting with the Neighborhood Watch. They aren’t paid for their work, but you’ll be able to get your name out and prove that you can handle yourself against whatever monsters we have living in the area. Biggs is interested in showing you the ropes, at least.”

“Biggs?”

“The one mixing drinks right now. Our friend, Wedge, is sitting at the bar right now, no doubt wanting me to put together lunch for him.”

“Oh.”

Tifa nodded and threw the vegetables into the pot to get a stew started. She had a couple sandwiches to make for the current group, but they were going to want the stew later, and she wanted to get it simmering before tonight. Nothing like something that tasted like home to make a person feel warm after a long, hard day of working.

“I wouldn’t think all that much of Biggs’ interest in you,” Tifa added as she started in on the orders. “I told him you were a childhood friend of mine and that you were looking for mercenary work. He’s probably just thinking about testing you a little.”

“What do you think of him?” Cloud finished with washing the dishes and grabbed a nearby towel, starting to dry them.

“He’s a good man. Trustworthy, and more than eager to help the people who live around here. He grew up in the Sector 5 slums, so he knows a lot about hunting monsters and helping the locals.” Tifa worked on the orders with experienced efficiency, throwing the sandwiches together before putting them on plates. “Since you’re a newcomer, I think he just wants to make sure that you’re the kind of person that the locals can trust. My word helps, but that’s only one hurdle to cross when you’re trying to get your name out there as a merc. After all, actions tend to speak louder than words.”

Tifa took the plates out of the kitchen and started passing the meals around, then checked on orders and drinks before walking back to the kitchen to get started on another batch of meals for people who had arrived in the meantime.

“Is he keeping up back there?” Biggs asked as Tifa passed him by.

“So far,” Tifa replied. “I’m not really surprised by that, though. We haven’t gotten to collecting dishes yet.”

Biggs snorted. “We’ll see how that goes, then.”

“Could I get something to eat, Tifa?” Wedge called. “ _Please?_ I’m getting hungry!”

Tifa pretended to look like she was about to say no. “I dunno….”

“Tifa!” Wedge whined.

She laughed. “All right, all right. But don’t expect a discount, all right? I don’t want to see you toddling out of here ten pounds heavier than when you came in.”

Wedge jerked back at the accusation. “Me? Never!”

“Good!” Tifa clapped her hands together. “I’ll whip up something for you, then. Just give me a few minutes.”

She ducked back into the kitchen and set to work again.

“You’re pretty busy here,” Cloud remarked. “Is it always like this?”

“Here? Usually. I have someone else who helps me out sometimes so that I don’t take Biggs away from his volunteer work, but he’s been unusually busy with his own projects as of late.” Tifa gave Cloud a half smile before setting to work on Wedge’s lunch. “It’s like I told you before, we’re really the only bar in Sector 7, so Seventh Heaven gets a _lot_ of business. I’m used to it, after running the bar for the last couple of years.”

Cloud nodded. He didn’t look too surprised by it, or worried. “If you need me to do anything other than this, let me know.” He motioned to the dishes.

“I’m not going to have you put together any meals just yet, but I’ll keep that in mind,” Tifa replied.

\----

When the lunch rush crowd cleared out, Tifa and Cloud came out of the kitchen to find Wedge gone and Biggs leaning against the counter having a drink of his own.

“You good?” Tifa rested her hands on her hips as she watched Biggs finish his drink.

Biggs took a long, final gulp, and put the cup on the counter. “Yeah, I’m good. Man, I’d rather go fight monsters than deal with that every single day.”

Tifa laughed. “It’s not always this bad. I’ve got someone else who helps me when he’s actually here, remember?”

“Yeah.” Biggs snorted. “I hope you don’t give him a consistent paycheck, because he doesn’t show up that often.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Tifa replied. “You can go ahead and leave me to handle things, Biggs.”

“All right.” Biggs nodded, then turned his attention to Cloud. “So, you’re a friend of Tifa’s? Cloud, right?”

Cloud nodded.

“I’m Biggs, and I’m a part of the Neighborhood Watch around here. Tifa said you wanted to be a mercenary around here?”

“Yeah. Tifa said you would be a good place to start.”

“If you want to get your reputation out, sure. Can’t guarantee that you’d be paid for any of your work, but the locals have their own ways of thanking the people who help out.” Biggs moved around to the other side of the bar. “Come on. I’ll show you around, and we can try out a couple tasks that need to get done. I’ll be able to see how good you are.”

“Sure.” Cloud followed after him.

“I’ll see you later, Cloud?” Tifa asked.

Cloud looked back at Tifa, and a flicker of a smile crossed his face. “Yeah.”

Tifa nodded. Good; she was going to be able to talk to him and hopefully get some answers about what had happened to Cloud before he showed up in Midgar that morning.

“See you for dinner, Tifa,” Biggs offered. “Be ready to feed some hungry stomachs.”

“I will be,” Tifa replied.

Biggs nodded back, and he and Cloud stepped out of Seventh Heaven and onto the street.

As soon as they were gone, Tifa leaned back against the wall behind the bar and sighed heavily. “If I’d been the only one back here, that would have been a nightmare of a lunch rush. I’m glad for the extra help.”

She was going to have to find a way to pay Cloud back later, but that was going to take a little time to put together, especially since she was manning the bar all day.

Or, most of it, at least.

Tifa grabbed a rag and started wiping down the tables. “Maybe I should talk to Marle. Cloud’s going to need a place to stay that isn’t one of the spare rooms in the bar, especially if Barret doesn’t like the idea of sharing with him. Stargazer Heights does have an open apartment that he could use, if he wanted it.”

Marle would probably be hesitant if she talked to her about it now, but maybe after Cloud has spent the day making a name for himself, Marle would be more open to the idea. There would be more people vouching for his work ethic than just Tifa.

“And Barret….I don’t _think_ he’s going to have any problems with Cloud. Although….”

Tifa remembered what Cloud had been like when they had been younger. She sighed.

“They’re going to butt heads no matter what I try to do, aren’t they?” She shook her head. “Well, at least I can do something about keeping them from completely destroying each other. Barret at least knows I’m not someone to mess with.”

Tifa finished wiping down the tables and turned her attention to the kitchen next. Cloud had done a good job keeping up with the dirty dishes that had been brought in, but there were still a few dishes left. It gave her something to keep her busy while waiting to see if there were any hungry folks who were coming in late for lunch.

It also meant she could think herself in circles around where two other people could be hiding in Midgar.

“I hope Cloud can tell me where they’re hiding,” Tifa remarked. “I’d like to be able to help…especially since they haven’t been in Midgar in _years.”_

She was going to have to wait for a talk with Cloud in private to get answers for that, though. Especially since the two SOLDIERs had yet to show up in Sector 7, if they were ever going to.

And then there was the _other_ job she had hidden away in Seventh Heaven.

Tifa sighed. “If Cloud says he can help, I hope he can, especially since we’re probably going to need that help.”


	3. Sector Tour

“So, you’re a childhood friend of Tifa’s?” Biggs looked at Cloud curiously as they stepped out of the bar. If he was going to get an idea of who Cloud was and what he was capable of, he was going to have to start at the beginning.

Cloud nodded. “Yeah.”

“Did you, what, grow up together? Move to her town?” Biggs nodded at another member of the Watch walking down the street. He got a nod back and a curious look at Cloud.

“We grew up in the same town,” Cloud said.

“Ah. Didn’t think I’d ever meet someone else from that part of the world. Tifa doesn’t really talk about it all that much.” Biggs gave Cloud a side-glance as they started up the street towards the monster death count board that Wymer helped run. “Something about how Nibelheim was burned to the ground and she doesn’t want to talk about it. Did you know about that?”

“I know about it.” Cloud caught Biggs looking at him and frowned back. “Did you think I was going to be surprised by something that’s old news?”

“It happened in the last five years, but…I guess that some things aren’t exactly kept secret.” Biggs rubbed the back of his head. “So, you knew Tifa pretty well as a kid?”

Cloud’s expression flickered at the question. Biggs made sure to pay attention to the way his eyes reacted. They almost seemed to have some sort of glow to them, almost like—

“Hey, Biggs! Who’s the new guy?” Wymer walked over from the board and rested his hands on his hips. “He looks like he could be a bit of a fighter, with that sword on his back.”

Biggs had been curious about the giant blade Cloud was carrying, but he hadn’t figured out how to ask about it yet. He hadn’t seen one that curved out at the end like that before.

“I’m Cloud,” Cloud said. “I’m looking for mercenary work.”

“I’m getting him started with the Watch so he can make a name for himself,” Biggs added. “Think you got any jobs the two of us could handle today? I’m guessing that a lot of it is gonna be the usual.”

Wymer nodded. “Yup. More monsters hanging out in the junkyard, and maybe a few things the locals need done if they’re looking for certain resources and things like that.” He looked Cloud over with a more critical eye. “Welcome to Sector 7, Cloud. Hope you don’t live up to your name and turn out to be a merc with some teeth instead of someone soft and fluffy. We need more teeth around here.”

“I’ve got plenty of teeth,” Cloud replied. He reached back and rested a hand on the grip of his sword. “Hard Edge and I can handle whatever you throw at us.”

“Good! Let’s get you started on some of the usual things the Watch does, then. Do well enough, and I’ll help spread word around and maybe get you some actual work, instead of volunteer work. The Junkyard outside of town is a natural attractor of monsters because of all the hiding places the critters can have to make nests. If you can clear them out for the day, that would help travel between Sectors 7 and 8, since we’re closer to 6.”

“I know where the junkyard is, so we can get there without needing directions,” Biggs said.

Cloud nodded. Biggs figured he wanted to get to fighting the monsters sooner rather than later.

“And if you find anything while you’re murdering the critters, you’re welcome to keep it,” Wymer added. “They have a habit of picking up gil and other items out there. And come back here when you’re done – I might be able to pull something together for you if you can clear out a lot of them. There’s a prize if you can break the current record for the highest number of monsters killed in a day.”

Cloud inclined his head. Biggs thought he saw a flicker of a smirk cross his face for a moment. “I like the sound of that.”

“Figured you would.” Wymer chuckled. “Go on and get goin’. I’ll spread word around from here that there’s a merc in town lookin’ for work.”

“Thanks, Wymer.” Biggs nodded to Wymer, then looked at Cloud. “Need any supplies before we head out? We’ve got a couple shops in town that sell weapons and potions, among other things.”

“I’m fine on weapons.” Cloud tightened his grip on his sword, then let it go and let his hand drop. “And I have a couple potions and ethers on me already, just in case.”

“Ethers? Does that mean you have materia?” Biggs raised an eyebrow.

Cloud nodded.

“Nice. Not very many people around here know how to use it, much less have access to any of it. Let’s go ahead to the junkyard and take care of those monsters, then swing around to the shop later to refill on anything you use up.” Biggs motioned for Cloud to follow him down the road.

Cloud fell into step with Biggs as they moved towards the edge of town, where the buildings were separated from a small maze of a canyon by a tall wire fence. Junk metal, rusted and scrap, could be seen scattered across the landscape beyond the buildings.

“Well, here we are.” Biggs worked at the latch on the gate and got it open. “All we have to do is clear out the monsters within a certain distance of the gate. It’ll keep them from being such a big problem for the people who make a living out here by collecting the scrap from above the plate to remake and sell.”

Cloud didn’t ask any questions about what Biggs was talking about, which could be a good thing. It meant he wasn’t going to ask questions about things that weren’t important to the job he took.

At the same time, it could mean that he wasn’t interested in what some people _did._ If he did the job for the sake of the job, he might not be interested in coming back except for the pay.

Biggs led Cloud through the gate and closed the gate behind them, but didn’t latch it. They were going to come back through this way, after all.

“All right.” Biggs unholstered his gun and nodded to Cloud. “Most of the monsters around here are wererats, with the occasional doomrat, but they’re not the only ones around here.”

Cloud nodded. He removed the sword from his back and swung it around in front of himself. “Let’s find them.”

Biggs smirked. “Show me what you’ve got, merc.”

Cloud smirked back, but the expression disappeared a moment later as he focused on the junkyard maze ahead of them. He started walking forward, sword at the ready to swing down on the closest creature that came in range.

Biggs watched how he moved, and noticed the two green orbs that were embedded in the sword, near Cloud’s hands. So that’s where he kept his materia. And they both looked like the usual type to cast spells with, but there was no telling what type of spells they were. One could be a Restore for all Biggs knew. Or a Fire, or Poison, or—

Biggs’ train of thought was cut off abruptly when a wererat came screeching out from one of the piles of junk, only for Cloud to raise a hand and send a blast of ice into the monster before he cut it down.

 _Or one of them could be Ice,_ Biggs mentally relented. _But that’s only one of them._

He raised his weapon as more wererats started spilling out. The sharp retort of the gun echoed across the stone and junk around them as the bullet hit one of the monsters in the head. “Looks like we’re going to be at this for a while!”

“Good. I could use the warmup.”

Biggs bit back a grin at Cloud’s comment. “Just wait until there’s a small swarm of them – you’re not going to do so well against them alone.”

“We’ll see.” Cloud felled one with a swing of his sword and went after the next. “I’ve fought bigger ones and won before. This is nothing.”

“Bigger? What kinda bigger?”

“Have you ever seen a Nibel wolf?”

\----

Clearing out the junkyard turned out to be a laughably easy task with Cloud running through and slashing every single monster to pieces, with or without using his Ice and apparently _lightning_ materia.

“You don’t have a Restore?” Biggs asked as they took a moment to breathe and down a couple potions.

Cloud finished off his small bottle and threw it aside. The weak glass exploded against the stone tower next to them. “Wasn’t lucky enough to find one.”

“Well, in that case, there are a couple materia sellers who live in the slums. Could probably help you find a Restore so that you can buy one if Tifa doesn’t have one.”

“Hm.” Cloud nodded. “So long as I can find the funds.”

“Heh. Yeah, that’s always a thing. But hey! We’ve gotten you a pretty good start on funds just from what the monsters have dropped.” Biggs motioned to the places where the dead wererats had dissolved into lifestream motes. A small scattering of gil coins and some potion bottles sat on the ground where the creatures had been slain. “I’m pretty okay when it comes to cash, so you’re welcome to first dibs on all of that. You’re the merc, after all – I’m just volunteering to go monster hunting.”

Cloud blinked, then nodded back to Biggs and set to gathering up what the monsters had left. “You have to do this every day?”

“Every day or every other day, generally. The monsters like coming in and nesting in the area, so we have to constantly beat them back.” Biggs rubbed the back of his head. “I think there’s an overpopulation problem or something, but I’m not an expert on monsters like that.”

“Hm.” Cloud finished gathering up the potions and gil and pocketed the spoils of his victory. “What next?”

“Well, next we go back and talk to Wymer and let him know we took care of the monsters in the junkyard, and see if there’s anything around town that needs to be done. And over the next couple days, when the monsters come back, you can come out here and beat them up for some free cash.” Biggs started back through the junkyard to the fence.

Cloud followed. “What kinds of things are done around town?”

Biggs tapped his chin. “Wedge calls a lot of the ones he does ‘Fetch Quests.’ Basically people asking for ingredients and resources for things. Tifa asks us to do that sometimes, for supplies for Seventh Heaven. Other times monsters have been known to get into the town and nest in some places, so we have to work to take care of those. And sometimes it’s a free courier job, if people don’t have the money to get something delivered between slum sectors. If we have to get something above the plate, we can, but it costs more to buy a ticket to above-plate than below-plate.”

“Hm.”

Cloud and Biggs stepped back through the fence and started to make their way up the street back to Wymer. Biggs noticed that a few people were looking in their direction, but most of the expressions were curious, not cautious or afraid.

“Looks like Wymer’s spreading word about you like he said he would,” Biggs remarked.

Cloud’s eyes narrowed. “Is that a good thing?”

“Probably. You did a good job helping me clear out the junkyard, so you’ll have my word backing you if people start asking around about you.”

Cloud blinked, then nodded. “Sounds good.”

“I gotta ask, though….” Biggs’ eyes moved up to meet Cloud’s, or rather, look _at_ Cloud’s eyes. “Were you a SOLDIER? Your eyes kinda have that…” He motioned to his own eyes.

Cloud blinked at the question. He frowned. “No.”

“Really?” When Cloud’s frown persisted, Biggs shrugged. “All right, all right. Just be prepared in case you get questions like that. Not every day you see a regular guy with mako-glow in his eyes like that.”

They saw Wymer before he saw them, but he was able to get enough time to wave at them as Biggs and Cloud approached.

“So, how did it go?” Wymer looked between them. “Looks like the merc came back in one piece, so that’s a good thing.”

“We cleared out all the monsters that were in the junkyard today,” Biggs said. “Cloud took out more of them than I could.”

“Really?” Wymer’s expression brightened. “Good! Our new merc _does_ have some teeth! Excellent. Looking forward to working with you, Cloud.”

Cloud nodded.

“Well, I’ve spread word around while you were out, so people know that you’re around for jobs.” Wymer motioned up and down the street. “Why don’t you stop by the shopkeep? I think he was complaining the other day about wererats hanging out near his shop and scaring off customers. Claims that a _doom_ rat is hanging around making more of the little monsters.”

“Sure.” Cloud looked at Biggs.

“I was thinking of swinging by there anyway, just in case there were any supplies you needed,” Biggs replied. “Come on. It’s not far from here.”

As Biggs led Cloud over to the shop that was apparently having a monster infestation, he looked over Cloud a little more carefully. He watched how the young man carried himself, remembered how he’d fought against the monsters in the junkyard.

Cloud was definitely a capable fighter. He knew how to handle his giant sword, but there was a problem with Cloud’s _eyes._

Cloud hadn’t said anything about being for or against Shinra, so either he was someone they could really trust, or he was a spy, sent down from that big tower on top of the Plate to have a closer look around at the slums. He could be someone trying to find dissenters who are looking to stir up trouble in Midgard.

“You thinking you’ll get snapped up by Shinra if you’re a good enough merc?” Biggs asked as they reached the shop.

Cloud stopped in front of the doorway and looked at Biggs with a strange expression. Biggs found it a little hard to read the look on his face. The glow in his eyes almost looked like it was increasing in intensity, for some reason.

“I’m not interested in joining Shinra,” Cloud said evenly. “Not after what’s happened.”

Biggs blinked. “You…you mean that?”

Cloud nodded shortly. “I never intend to ally myself with them.”

“…huh.” Well, that was certainly an answer. And it _did_ feel like Cloud was telling the truth.

Whether or not it was actually the truth remained to be seen.

“Let’s go get this over with.” Cloud pushed the door open and stepped inside the shop. “I’ve got some things that I need to restock on, anyway.”

“Yeah. Sure.” Biggs followed after him.

He was going to keep any actual judgements on Cloud’s character for when they went back to the bar.

\----

By the end of the day, the entirety of the Sector 7 slums knew Cloud was a new mercenary in town and that he was someone who could be trusted to get the job done in a reasonable amount of time.

“I gotta say, I’m pretty impressed by how you handled yourself,” Biggs remarked as they walked back to Seventh Heaven. The already dim lighting of the under-plate was becoming even dimmer as the large sun lamps high above their heads started to flicker out one by one. “First day as a merc in Midgar, and you’re already handling yourself like some rouge SOLDIER who broke off from Shinra. Without the connection back to them, even. Ha! Bet that’s something to really rub in their faces if they ever think to come down here.”

A smirk flickered across Cloud’s face.

“In fact, considering that _and_ that you’re a friend to Tifa, I think we might be able to put together a job for you, if you’re interested.”

“If the price is right, I might be interested,” Cloud replied. “What’s the job?”

“Something pretty big and something that we need to keep quiet. If you don’t want to take the job, we’d probably end up paying you to keep it quiet, at least.”

The duo reached the bar as Cloud raised an eyebrow.

“This isn’t something that we want Shinra to ever hear about,” Biggs added in a low voice. “C’mon. He’s probably in by now.”

“Who?”

Biggs didn’t answer Cloud’s question, and instead climbed the stairs to the bar’s porch and stepped inside. He heard Cloud climb the stairs behind him. “Hey, Tifa! We’re back!”

Tifa looked up from a drink she was clearly in the middle of mixing a drink for a customer. “Hey, Biggs! Cloud! How’s the town?”

“Pretty good!” Biggs walked up and took an open spot. Johnny, Johnny, clearly back for another round, was on his left; on Bigg’s right was a large, muscular man with a machine gun for an arm. “Just showed Cloud around and got some stuff done; he’s on the up and up, I think. He kept up pretty well, and even handled Betty’s request to find all her cats for her. The furballs seemed pretty attracted to him – they didn’t want to leave him when we brought them back to Betty.”

Cloud sighed heavily behind him. “You said it would help me get my name out.”

“And it does.” Tifa poured the drink into a glass and passed it over to Johnny, who cocked his head at the conversation. “Betty is a good judge of character, whether her cats like you or not. She’s going to make sure that you get a lot of good jobs in the future, if you need more cash in the area. I wouldn’t be surprised if word starts getting out to the other sectors if you do as good of a job as you did today.”

Cloud eyed Tifa with an appraising expression. “I’ll keep that in mind. Biggs said you might have a job for me?”

Johnny whined into his glass. “Who is this guy that you’re giving a job to, Tifa? Can’t I work here?”

“We’ve already established that you can’t work here well enough to be worth keeping on, Johnny,” Tifa told him. “You kept trying to do more than you could do for an entry job. I said I would eventually bring you up to cooking food and mixing drinks, but since you tried and made my kitchen a mess, I’m not all that eager to bring you back on.”

Johnny sighed and slumped against the counter. The way Cloud shifted behind Biggs made him wonder if Cloud was thinking about laughing, but was holding himself back.

The large man at the bar who still hadn’t spoken leaned over, forcing Biggs to lean forward against the bar in order to avoid being pushed off his stool. “How about you head on out, Johnny? You’ve probably got other things you can do, yeah? You don’t need to spend your entire day moping around here, as much as Tifa might appreciate your gil.”

Feeling that deep voice almost vibrate down Biggs’ spine was something that was a nice feeling, but at the same time it was something he really didn’t want to feel on a regular basis.

Normally, when Barret was able to get this close to you, he was planning to give you a crushing hug – literally.

“But—”

Johnny cut himself off as Barret rested his still-normal-hand on Johnny’s shoulder and squeezed.

“Go on, kid.” Barret’s voice was starting to take on a bit of a growl. “Find somewhere else ta hang for a bit, will ya?”

Johnny gulped, then scrambled off his stool and out of the bar without another word.

“You really need to stop scaring him, Barret,” Tifa said as Cloud took Johnny’s seat. She picked up the half-finished drink and moved it onto the counter behind her. “What if he eventually works up the courage to join the Watch, and he ends up working with you for a day? What is he going to do then?”

“We’ll work out our differences then, an’ things won’t be a problem,” Barret replied with a shrug. He frowned at Cloud as Biggs righted himself. “So, who’s this guy?”

“Cloud Strife,” Cloud said.

“He’s a friend of mine,” Tifa said. “We grew up in the same town.”

“Really?” Barret straightened up a little and looked at Cloud with a more attentive expression. “What brought you all the way out here?”

“I’m looking for mercenary work,” Cloud replied.

Biggs saw Tifa’s expression flicker at Cloud’s words, but she quickly steeled her expression. He almost raised an eyebrow at her, but Barret’s next question kept him from asking any himself.

“Are you a Shinra mutt?” Barret frowned at Cloud. “You’ve got the mako eyes. You’ve gotta be a SOLDIER.”

Cloud frowned back. “I’m not.”

“Yeah, and I’m not—”

“Barret.” Tifa leaned against the counter. “Cloud’s fine. He’s not from Shinra.”

“And how do you know that? How long has it been since you’ve seen each other? He could’ve been up to who _knows_ what.” Barret motioned to Cloud as he frowned at Cloud.

Biggs sighed and dropped his head into his hands. “Here we go. Barret, Cloud’s fine. I was with him all day. I think we can trust him.”

“Can we? If he’s a Shinra dog, I don’t want him anywhere near him, much less—”

“Barret!” Tifa slammed a hand against the bar counter. “Enough. I’m not about to have an argument of raised voices in _my_ bar. If you want to get to know Cloud, you can do it _without_ fighting in here.”

“Tifa—”

“If you want to do it downstairs, you can, but the ground floor is _mine.”_ Tifa gave Barret a pointed glare.

Biggs’ eyebrows rose at Tifa’s words. “Wow. I think this is the first time I’ve seen you get this mad.”

Tifa sighed heavily. “Well, just because it’s been five years since I’ve seen Cloud doesn’t mean I don’t trust him. But that’s because I know more than you do.”

“Know more about what?” Barret frowned.

Tifa glanced at Cloud, who looked back at her with a guarded expression. Something passed between the two of them that Biggs couldn’t quite understand. There was a lot of weight to it, like a secret shared between two close friends who knew something no one else did.

Biggs had seen that look between kids before, years ago. A part of him wondered what kind of secret _these_ two shared.

“Fine! Keep your secrets.” Barret huffed. “But unless I get any proof otherwise, I’m just gonna think he’s another Shinra mutt.”

Cloud’s eyes narrowed.

“Maybe we shouldn’t assume before we have actual proof,” Biggs spoke up. He raised his hand, acting like a defensive barrier between Barret and Cloud. Something told him he couldn’t stand for long against either one of them, but he had to try. “Barret, Cloud told me he doesn’t like Shinra. Considering how he acted today with helping me on the Watch, I’m inclined to believe him.”

Barret frowned at Biggs. He turned his head away from them and huffed loudly.

Tifa sighed at Barret, then turned to look at Cloud. “We’re willing to pay you to help us blow up one of the reactors.”

“Tifa!” Barret turned sharply. “You—”

“If you don’t want to pay him, Barret, then _I will.”_ Tifa gave Barret a pointed look. He scowled back at her.

“I’m in.”

Biggs looked at Cloud in surprise, while Tifa blinked sharply. It looked like she was a little surprised, too.

“I thought it might take a little more convincing than that,” Tifa remarked.

Cloud shrugged. “I told you I was in town for a reason. There are things going on with Shinra that I don’t like. What better way to send a message?”

Barret stared.

Biggs blinked. A grin slowly crossed his face. “Sounds like we’ve got our answer, Barret. Come on – Jessie’s probably out meeting her contact for materials, so we might as well get downstairs and have a proper meeting to fill in our new member.”

Biggs got off the stool and walked over to the defunct pinball machine. It didn’t have an out of order sign on it, but everyone knew that it didn’t work the way it was supposed to. More people liked playing with the darts in the corner than the old spring-loaded machine that could use a tune-up.

“Come on.” Biggs motioned for Cloud to come over. “We don’t like having our mission briefings on the ground floor.”

Cloud got off the stool and walked over to the pinball game. Biggs motioned for him to get as close to the game as possible before he hit the button hidden under the console.

Biggs grinned as Cloud leaned forward in order avoid falling off the elevator platform. “Gave me a shock when I first used it, too. You get used to it.”

“Hm.” Cloud’s expression flickered to amusement for a moment, but then it was back under his guarded mask.

Biggs got the feeling that he was looking at a guarded, scrawny kid who’d grown up on the streets and had learned to fend for himself, and smiled a little. He’d be able to read Cloud pretty well soon enough.


	4. Welcome to AVALANCHE

The base below Seventh Heaven was a two-room arrangement, with a couple couches and a table in the larger space, and a bathroom taking up the smaller room. Scattered all over the walls and on top of the table were schematics and maps of parts of Midgar and bits and pieces of the reactors, along with parts of robots used by Public Security and weapons.

Cloud looked around as he and Biggs stepped off the elevator, and it went back up to the ground level.

“Welcome to AVALANCHE’s home base.” Biggs motioned to the room. “Well, not really. We’re a branch that broke off some time ago. Now we really plan our own thing without the big wigs getting involved.”

Cloud looked around the room with a frown on his face as the pinball machine came back down with Barret and Tifa crammed onto the platform. Barret looked like he was about ready to punch something, but was holding back. How long that was going to last, Biggs didn’t know.

Well, they had a punching bag hanging in a corner of their hidden base for a reason.

“I’m still not on board with this,” Barret announced. “You can’t just invite somebody in here without my permission, Tifa.”

“He’s my friend, and I don’t think he’s going to have a problem with this,” Tifa replied.

“I don’t,” Cloud confirmed. “Shinra really messed up my life. I’m not about to let them get away with anything else.”

Barret blinked. “Uh…what?”

“Long story,” Tifa said. Maybe a little too quickly.

“Doesn’t have to be.” Biggs leaned against the table and looked over at Cloud. “If you want to give us the basics of it, I’m not gonna stop you. But if it’s something you don’t want to talk about, I’m pretty sure that some of us here could understand that.” He gave Barret a pointed look.

Barret huffed and looked away. At the same time, Biggs noticed Cloud looking at him from his periphery. Something flashed in his eyes, almost making them look green for a moment.

Biggs blinked. No, Cloud’s eyes were that weird, mako-glow blue. No green from what he could see.

Tifa cleared her throat. “I know I’m not…exactly the best at explaining this – Barret handles it a lot better than me – but we’re currently planning on blowing up Mako Reactor 1 very soon. Not the whole thing, just some of the parts inside that let it pull the Lifestream up from the planet and process it into mako-energy. If all goes well, only the reactor will be damaged, and the areas around it in Sectors 1 and 8 – both above and below the plate – will only lose power.”

“The people in the slums will be able to handle that just fine,” Biggs said. “We’ve dealt with worse than losing power abruptly. It’ll be a message for everyone above plate, though.”

“Damn right it will be!” Barret raised a fist, a determined scowl on his face.

Biggs couldn’t help but grin. Apparently, he and Tifa had managed to say just enough to get Barret going, which was definitely what they needed in order to help convince Cloud to the cause. He was already on board to help take down Shinra, but they had other reasons besides that to blow up the reactors.

“Those damn reactors are drainin’ the planet dry! If we let them keep goin’ like this, they’re gonna completely kill the planet! They’re pullin’ that mako from the lifestream, ya see, so if they completely drain everythin’ from the planet, there won’t be anythin’ left to live on! The planet’s cryin’ in pain, so we gotta answer her call, and make sure that Shinra doesn’t kill her or the rest of us.” Barret huffed and frowned at Cloud, as though challenging him to say something that Barret could kick him out of the base for.

Cloud tilted his head. “You can hear the planet crying?”

Barret blinked sharply at the question. “What? Uh, not – not really – it’s supposed to be a metaphor, okay? You can see the damn wasteland Midgar’s in the middle of! Isn’t that proof enough of a _problem_ here?”

Tifa held back a laugh. Biggs smirked at her, then looked at Cloud with a more serious frown.

Cloud said nothing for a moment, then asked, “How much are you planning on paying me?”

Barret started to raise his prosthetic. “You—”

“I just got in town and I’m going to need something to get a place to stay.” Cloud glared at Barret. “I can’t sleep in the streets the entire time that I’m here.”

Barret blinked. He lowered his weapon, but he didn’t look too pleased by the question. At least he didn’t look like he was going to tear Cloud’s head off at a moment’s notice. “We can—”

“Two thousand gil,” Tifa spoke up quickly. “We can offer you that much, at least. And I can get you a place to stay pretty easily, since you’re helping us out – there’s a vacant apartment at Stargazer Heights, where I stay. Marle’s a friend to the cause, so she can at least offer you a room at a discount, maybe even for free.”

“Tifa!” Barret turned sharply. “That 2K is gonna go to—”

Tifa rounded on Barret with a glare that made him shut up so fast that Biggs had a hard time holding in the laugh this time.

“Well, sounds like that’s that,” Biggs remarked. “Welcome to the team, Cloud. We’re going to be hitting the reactor in a few days, so you’ve got some time to get supplies that you think you’re going to need. Our bombmaker’s gotta finish with her work, but we’ve got the date set.”

Cloud nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll consider all this a warm-up.”

Biggs gave Cloud a thumbs-up. “Cool.”

“Just so you know.” Barret pointed at Cloud. “I still don’t trust you. You an’ Tifa may know each other from before, but you still look like you could be a SOLDIER Shinra mutt to me. I’m not gonna trust ya until you can prove to me that you’re not some spy that’s planning on spying on us for the big wigs up there.” He pointed up, but it was clear he wasn’t indicating the ground floor of the bar.

Cloud shrugged. “We’ll see how long you can hold onto that idea. I’ve already said that I’m not with Shinra, so you’re going to be really embarrassed when it turns out that I’m right and you’re wrong.”

The smirk that crossed Cloud’s face made Biggs think of the kind of kid who was used to making the bigger kids mad by pushing every button in reach. Cloud was a fighter, and that was putting it mildly.

“Hoo boy,” Biggs muttered.

Barret raised his shoulders, trying to make himself look even bigger. “Why you little—”

“Enough!” Tifa moved between them, putting her arms up between them. “Cloud, come on. Let’s go talk to Marle about getting you that room.”

Cloud’s smirk dropped, and he nodded. “Sure.”

Tifa sighed in relief, then gave Barret a pointed look and moved around him to the pinball machine. Cloud followed after her, and the two went up to the ground floor.

As soon as they were gone, Barret turned to Biggs. “Are you really siding with them on this?”

“I spent the whole day with Cloud,” Biggs replied. “He’s a capable fighter, and he doesn’t like Shinra. I made it a point to ask him, and…he was really honest. He’s not all that hard to read.”

Barret looked like he wanted to argue that point, but instead he sighed heavily and collapsed on one of the couches. “I don’t like him, Biggs.”

“I gathered as much. But he’s a friend of Tifa’s, and I can vouch for him. I don’t think we’re going to have as many problems with Cloud as you’re thinking we will.” Biggs looked down at the reactor schematics, then back at Barret. “I know you’re just being cautious about letting him into the mission when we don’t know anything about him, and Tifa knows everything about him. Or, at least, more than we do. But I think we can trust Cloud.”

“Thinking isn’t better than knowing, Biggs.” Barret frowned. “I’m withholding judgement until we can get more information on him.”

“You mean, like if we can get Tifa’s on-again-off-again dishboy to give us an answer?”

Barret grimaced. “Maybe. But I don’t like relyin’ on him. We don’t know where he gets his information _from.”_

“I know. But he’s better than most of the informants that live around here, and you know it, whether you like it or not.”

Barret grumbled something that Biggs didn’t catch, but he wasn’t interested in the string of curses Barret was using.

Biggs moved to the elevator. “I’m gonna have a look around again and see if anyone else needs the Neighborhood Watch to give them some help. I’m guessing Marlene’s with Betty right now?”

“Yup. I should go get her soon. Especially since Tifa’s gonna be getting busy soon.”

“Yeah, that’s true. You’re going to want to be able to keep an eye on her while you’re acting like a bouncer.” Biggs’ fingers hovered near the switch under the pinball game. “Think Jessie’s gonna be done tonight?”

“I hope so. It would mean that we could move sooner than we’ve planned.” Barret grinned. “I’d love to see those Shinra goons scramble to figure out what just happened while we keep moving around in the shadows, out of sight. Especially if all goes well and they have no idea how the power went out. Ha!”

Biggs almost laughed too, but then he saw Barret’s grin drop.

“Still, thinking about it isn’t going to mean that it’s going to happen. We have to move to do it instead of waiting.” Barret frowned at Biggs. “And we’re doing that.”

“That we are.” Biggs nodded. “Here’s hoping things don’t go down the drain.”

“With Jessie putting the bomb together and how prepared we are?” Barret snorted. “Nah, we’re gonna be fine. Just keep that newbie on a short leash and we shouldn’t have him causing any complications.”

Biggs nodded and hit the elevator switch. As he went up, a frown flickered across his face.

As much as he wanted to trust that Cloud was someone who could help, a part of him did wonder if there was going to be a change to the plan that they weren’t going to be expecting.

\----

“Well, here we are!” Tifa motioned to the two-story building that she stayed in. “Stargazer Heights.”

Cloud looked up at the building with a frown on his face.

“I know it doesn’t look like much, but it’s better than nothing,” Tifa added.

“Tifa, who’s this?”

Tifa looked over as Marle stepped out from under the porch on the ground floor. She was frowning, but it was a curious look, not an angry one.

“I think I saw him walking around with a member of the Watch this afternoon. Is he new?” Marle rested her hands on her hips as she frowned at Cloud.

Cloud blinked at her, then frowned back.

“This is Cloud,” Tifa said. “He’s a friend of mine from the town I grew up in.”

Marle’s expression shifted. “Does he—”

“I know,” Cloud replied somewhat flatly.

“…well, I suppose that settles that.” Marle eyed Cloud with a more calculating expression. “So, I’m going to guess that you are in need of a room?”

“I am.”

Tifa decided to step in. “He’s planning on working as a mercenary, but he’s going to be helping us with a few things, too.”

“Really?” Marle raised an eyebrow. “And how soon are you starting him in on that?”

Cloud sent Tifa a guarded, but curious look, which Tifa did her best to ignore as she answered.

“Well, he’s coming with us in a couple days to the first one, at least.” Tifa glanced up at the metal sky far above their heads.

Marle didn’t need to guess what that meant. “Well, in that case, you don’t need to worry about anything from me if you’re going to be helping those troublemakers. You’re going to have enough to worry about without having to think about rent.”

Tifa sighed in relief. “That’s better than I was hoping for. Thank you so much, Marle.”

“Don’t thank me now. Thank me later when you can see him actually focusing on your little missions and not on trying to scrape together the gil he needs.” Marle revealed a room key and handed it over to Cloud. “That’ll get you into your room on the second floor. It’s the only one that’s open right now, and it’s right next to Tifa’s. How about you get settled in before you forget to do that between whatever merc jobs you get yourself up to?”

Cloud nodded, then looked at Tifa, who took the stairs up to the second floor.

“If she said you’re taking the empty one next to mine, that means you’re getting 202.” Tifa pointed at the door in the middle of the second floor’s three rooms. “201 is mine, and 203 is…well, they’re a neighbor that I’ll introduce to you later. Go ahead and have a look around. We could probably decorate it a little later, too, if you want to personalize it.”

Cloud glanced at Tifa with a slightly raised eyebrow, then unlocked his new apartment’s door and stepped inside.

Tifa remained standing in the doorway and watched as Cloud looked around at the sparse living space. A bed, bare walls, a sink, and a small bathroom were the only things any of Marle’s apartments had, but they worked well enough for the people who lived there, Tifa included.

Cloud nodded slightly.

“Should work, right?” Tifa asked.

“Should,” Cloud replied. He looked away from the simple bed and frowned at Tifa. He motioned with his head for her to step in.

Tifa stepped into the small apartment and closed the door behind her. She didn’t need to ask what he meant by the gesture. “Cloud…I don’t know where to start asking. I’ve just –” She sighed and shook her head as Cloud watched her with a curious expression. “You’re still you, right? You’re not…you’re not Sephiroth and Zack all mixed together, are you?”

Cloud shook his head. “I’m me. I’m not either one of them. Don’t worry.”

“You saying that still makes me worried, though. You were connected to…” Tifa trailed off, uncertain. “But they’re nearby.”

“Yeah.”

“Are they…are we going to see them?”

“Maybe.” Cloud shrugged. “We’ll have to see what they have to say about it.”

“…does that mean they’re not listening in right now?” Tifa motioned to her head. “I remember what it was like traveling with them from Nibelheim to – to where we left you guys. I know they were in each other’s heads – and yours, too.”

Cloud shifted. His expression almost seemed to look uneasy for a moment, but then it settled. “They’re…they’re around. But they’re not listening in. We agreed that we’d leave each other alone unless we needed to ask for something or if there was something going on, so they’re not gonna bother me right now.”

Tifa nodded. “Good, good…I…I don’t know what they’d say if they saw me like this.”

Cloud frowned, and before he could react, Tifa moved forward and hugged Cloud tightly.

Tifa rested her head against Cloud’s shoulder. “I was so worried for you, after…after we had to part ways. It’s been _five years,_ Cloud. Are you okay after all that? When did you—”

“I’m fine, Tifa.” Cloud didn’t break out of the hug, but it took him a moment to hug her back. “I’m fine. I woke up a couple months ago when the crystals broke on their own.”

Tifa looked up in surprise. “They broke on their own? Was Vincent there to –”

“He said something about it being too dangerous to call people, and the PHS that was left behind for us wasn’t exactly working anyway.” A twitch of a smirk appeared on Cloud’s face, but it was gone a moment later. “I…I know we’re behind on a lot, but there’s a few things that we know.”

Tifa nodded, then slowly lowered her arms and let go of Cloud. As nice as it was to be hugged by him, considering how much stronger he had become in his absence, there were more serious things to talk about. “Like how you were so eager to go after the reactor with us.”

Cloud nodded. “That’s part of it.”

“Okay. I already knew that _they_ knew Shinra wasn’t the kind of company they wanted to associate with, but…the fact that you were so quick when you didn’t know why was still a surprise to me.”

Cloud blinked, then frowned. “I—”

A loud knocking sound came from the door. “Hey, merc! Tifa! Are you up here?”

“Marle?” Tifa blinked in confusion as Cloud walked over and opened the door.

Sure enough, Marle was standing on the other side, looking flustered.

“What’s going on?” Tifa frowned.

“It’s starting to get to the dinner rush and people are askin’ for ya!” Marle pointed down towards the bar. “Get going! You have a whole section of the slums to feed!”

Tifa’s eyes widened. “That’s right, it’s – oh no.” She looked at Cloud. “I’ve gotta go. We’ll talk later?”

Cloud nodded. “Yeah.”

Tifa smiled at him for a moment, then turned and dashed out of his apartment, down the stairs, and back up the road to Seventh Heaven, where a crowd was already starting to gather in front of the bar.

“Sorry for making you wait!” Tifa called as she ran up. “I was a bit busy helping Cloud move in.”

“Cloud?” Wymer looked over from the edge of the group. “So, you do know the new merc already. I was wondering about that.”

“He’s an old friend of mine.” Tifa moved past Wymer and a couple others, climbed the steps of the bar, and pushed the doors open.

Barret, who had been standing on the other side with his arms crossed, offered a slightly sheepish smile. “Couldn’t let them in without the head of the place.”

“Thanks, Barret. Ready to do the usual tonight?”

Barret grinned widely. “Aren’t I always?” He stepped aside, letting the group outside step into the bar and start taking tables.

Tifa nodded to Barret. Having him around as an extra eye to help break out drunken fights was a good thing, especially when she was running between the kitchen and her place at the bar. Two sets of arms were better than one, especially when things got rowdy.

“Okay, let’s see how things go tonight.” Tifa cracked her knuckles, rolled her shoulders, and set into her work, moving from table to table and taking orders before ducking behind the bar counter and beginning mixing drinks.

The doors swung open again. “Need any help?”

Tifa looked up at the question and blinked in surprise when she saw Cloud standing by the doors. Barret sent him a sharp frown, but he didn’t move to try and stop Cloud from stepping in.

A smile crossed Tifa’s face. “I’d appreciate some help with the dishes again, if you’re up to it. I’ll give you a free meal and drinks in exchange.”

Cloud nodded back. “Sounds good.” He made his way around the tables to the kitchen on the other side of the bar, while Tifa’s customers watched him walk by.

“Who knew that the merc would be willing to do even that kind of work?” A customer laughed. “Looks like we’ve got a good one this time! I hope he sticks around.”

“I think he will,” Tifa replied in confidence. “Especially after he gets a taste of my cooking.”

“Ha! Looking forward to working with him, then!”

The declaration was met by a number of cheers, as well as a few impatient calls for drinks.

Tifa laughed a little in agreement and nodded, then set to work. A part of her felt like things were starting to look up.


	5. Tense Breakfast

When Tifa woke up the next morning, it took until she was in the middle of getting dressed after a shower to remember that Cloud was in Midgar and that the two of them were now neighbors.

“O-oh! Oh. Yes. Right.” Tifa quickly finished getting dressed. “I wonder if he’s up already…probably not, since I have to make sure Seventh Heaven is open for customers. Unless he’s going looking for more monsters or people who need help.”

From what she had heard from the bar’s patrons last night, it sounded like he’d managed to hit it off pretty well with the locals. Hopefully he would be able to keep that going, even as he helped AVALANCHE against Shinra.

A frown crossed Tifa’s face. “I hope that Jessie’s project only does what it’s supposed to. I’d rather not hear of anything too bad happening immediately after the first reactor goes down.”

As bad as Shinra was, they were going to be affecting the lives of people who were innocent in comparison. So long as just the machinery inside blew up, rather than the entire reactor, they would be much better off.

Tifa shook the thought out of her head. “I’ve got to focus on my work today. I can’t afford to just think about what-ifs when they haven’t happened yet.”

She finished with her morning routine, then grabbed her gloves and stepped out of her apartment and into the artificial morning sunlight cast by the sun lamps far above their heads. Shinra had discovered that people didn’t work as well when they didn’t have access to sunlight of any kind, and had come up with a decent alternative to help keep people’s spirits up. In Tifa’s opinion, it wasn’t as good as the real thing, but it was better than being stuck under the equivalent of cloudy weather all day.

Cloud was standing on the balcony. “Hey.”

“Morning.” Tifa nodded. “Planning on doing more merc work today?”

“That’s the plan. Could use some breakfast, though. Know any good places?” Cloud’s glowing blue eyes almost seemed to spark at the question.

Tifa grinned. “I may know of a place, yeah. Come on. We can swing by the train station to pick up more supplies that I ordered. They usually bring in the shipments early in the morning, so I get them before I open.”

Cloud nodded. “Lead the way.”

Tifa nodded back, then quickly took the stairs to the ground floor. Unsurprisingly, Marle was already up and sitting under the ground floor porch, watching the town wake up slowly.

“Good morning. Nothing terrible happened last night, I assume?” Marle raised an eyebrow at the two of them. “I didn’t see the two of you sharing a room last night.”

“Marle!” Tifa knew she was turning red. “I – no, nothing like that!”

“Ha!” Marle grinned. “I’m just joking, Tifa.” The grin dropped. “Seriously, though. If Cloud decided to hurt you, you know you can come to me. He may be a friend of yours from before, but if he does anything untoward—”

“I know, I know.” Tifa spared a glance at Cloud, who looked slightly surprised, but not completely thrown off. “I’m fine, I promise. Cloud wouldn’t do anything like that.”

“Hmm.” Marle’s eyes narrowed, but then she relaxed. “Well, all right. I do trust you, Tifa. And he was running around a lot yesterday, helping out where he could. I hope that trend _continues,_ rather than turning out to be something else entirely.”

“Don’t worry, Marle. If Cloud steps out of line, I can take him.” Tifa grinned at Cloud.

Cloud blinked in surprise, then snorted. “You can try.”

“We can spar later, if you want. I’m definitely stronger than what you remember.” Tifa gave him a light jab in the arm. “Come on. Let’s get that shipment from the train and open the bar, and then I can get you some breakfast.”

“Sounds good.”

The slums were as bustling as they always were in the early morning – which was to say, not much. Tifa had a habit of getting up early enough that people were only starting to get out of their homes and go to work – whether above or below the plate.

“If you wanted, you could probably talk to Biggs about doing more work with the Neighborhood Watch today,” Tifa remarked. “You don’t have to help me all day, and I’m sure that there are more people who might want to ask you for help. I don’t want to keep you in Seventh Heaven _all_ day, even though we need to catch up.”

“Hm.” Cloud inclined his head. His eyes seemed to flash, and Tifa almost thought that his eyes had turned green for a moment before going back to blue. “Having a look around wouldn’t be a problem. If I can’t locate anything, I am coming back.”

“That’s fair. Just don’t spend all your time doing dishes in my kitchen. I have a dish boy who’s supposed to be picking up the slack.”

“Where is he?”

Tifa shook her head. “It’s hard for me to know where exactly he is, but he always shows up when I’m having one of my worse days. Right now, I’m not expecting to see him until later.”

Maybe right before the Reactor 1 mission, if they were lucky. Kunsel was more likely to show up afterwards, when they were looking for news on Shinra’s reaction to losing a reactor.

“He’d better show up. You were pretty busy yesterday.”

Tifa nodded as they reached the train station. Like yesterday, there was another stack of crates sitting next to one of the train attendants, who nodded in greeting.

“Glad to see you here at the usual time this morning.” The attendant held his clipboard out to Tifa. “Just sign here and pay the usual fees and we should be good.”

“Great!” Tifa signed in the usual place and went digging in her wallet for payment. A mix of bills and coins today – she was going to have to raid the safe in Seventh Heaven for more funds in the future. “I think that’s all the shipments I’m getting for this week, but I’ll give you a heads-up if I call in anything.”

“Much appreciated. Just don’t go for too long – we get antsy when we have to start preparing to cordon off an entire train car for a shipment down here.”

Tifa laughed at his worried look. “Don’t worry; I won’t go that far.”

Cloud and Tifa gathered the crates, started the walk back to Seventh Heaven. Like the day before, the road was quiet as the locals were just starting to get up and make their way to the train.

“Does this happen every day?” Cloud raised an eyebrow.

“Not always.” Tifa nodded to someone walking past, who waved back. “I get shipments usually once a week, but sometimes I get more customers than usual and I need to restock. I haven’t had to worry about that too much lately, but it’s better to be prepared than caught by surprise.”

Cloud nodded.

“Cloud!”

He and Tifa glanced over as Wymer waved in greeting from across the street.

“I’ve got a good quest for you to get the day started, so make sure you swing by when you get the chance!” Wymer motioned over to the kill count board behind him, which had been reset to 0.

“Sure,” Cloud called back.

“Sounds like yesterday let you make a name for yourself.” Tifa smiled as they reached the Seventh Heaven. “I’ll go ahead and get you some breakfast, and then you should probably go and take care of that mission for Wymer.”

Cloud frowned. “Tifa—”

“I’ll be fine. My work days here aren’t always as bad as they were yesterday.” Tifa smiled at Cloud, trying to be encouraging as they stepped inside the bar. “I mean it. I’ll be okay. I haven’t been running this bar on my own with nothing to show for it, you know.”

Cloud visibly hesitated as Tifa moved further inward, but then he sighed and followed her to the kitchen to drop off the crates. “If you need help, just ask.”

Tifa nodded. She started to move towards the fridge to start to get some ingredients for breakfast, then paused. “Oh, yeah – Cloud, I want you to try to be nice to Barret.”

Cloud blinked a couple times, then frowned.

Tifa frowned back at him as she pulled out a carton of eggs. “I saw the look on your face when you met him yesterday. He means well, really. Could you at least try? Please?”

Cloud’s expression didn’t change until Tifa raised her eyebrows at him. Then he sighed and rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

That was going to be as good as Tifa was going to get, but she gave him a pointed look anyway and set to work on cooking something.

“I don’t think things will get too busy for me; besides, people are going to want to get to know you better and see the kinds of things you can handle, especially after yesterday.” Tifa offered Cloud a glance as he leaned against the wall behind her.

“Is that going to get in the way of what you have planned?” Cloud frowned.

“It shouldn’t, no, especially with how many monsters you killed yesterday.” The eggs were sizzling in the pan already, but Tifa’s rack of spices was never far from reach. Just a few things here and there to make sure the eggs had a little extra kick. “Keep it up, and the town should be fine for a couple days – more than enough time to help Barret with his mission.”

“How many people know?”

Tifa frowned for a moment, then realized what Cloud was asking. “Only we know the details, and Marle, but she hasn’t told anyone else. There are some people who know that AVALANCHE has a base here and that we’re not like the _other_ AVALANCHE that almost tore the city apart a few years back, but they don’t know the details of who they are or what exactly it is they’re planning on doing. But Sector 7 protects their own, and if people come knocking for members of AVALANCHE, they’re more likely to act innocent than they are going to point fingers.”

“You have a lot of trust in them.”

“Hard not to, especially since I’ve gotten to know them. I’m the only place in the sector they can go to for a drink after a hard day’s work, after all.” Tifa sent Cloud a slight smile over her shoulder.

Cloud blinked, then nodded back. It looked to Tifa like he might have something on his mind, but wasn’t sure about whether or not to voice it. He’d always been the sort to not want to say much, but seeing that in him now, after so long…it made her feel like Cloud was still _Cloud,_ and not someone else who looked like him.

Or a mishmash of whatever had happened in his head before.

The stairs creaked loudly. “Is that breakfast I smell?”

“I’m just putting together something for Cloud before he heads out, Barret!” Tifa called back. She quickly returned her attention to the eggs and pushed them off the pan and onto a waiting plate. “You want your usual this morning?”

“Mine and Marlene’s!”

Cloud accepted his plate as his expression shifted a little.

“Remember, be nice.” Tifa gave him a pointed look.

Cloud’s expression turned into a scowl for a moment, but then shifted back to a neutral expression as he stepped out of the kitchen and past Barret as the big man stuck his head in the kitchen. Tifa caught Barret sending Cloud a glare as the blond moved to sit down at one of the tables.

“Is this gonna become a regular thing?” Barret nodded back to Cloud as he watched Tifa get to work on his breakfast.

“Cloud’s a friend. Of course I’m going to offer him the same thing that I do for you.” Bacon was thrown in a pan as Tifa started on some pancake batter. Not much, since it was more for Marlene than it was for Barret. A little girl didn’t need _that_ many pancakes for breakfast. “What kind of person would I be if I didn’t?”

Barret shifted, then glanced back at where Cloud was again. He sighed. “I know you trust him, but it’s clear the two of you haven’t seen each other in a while. He could’ve changed in that time. Could’ve joined Shinra.”

“It’s not because of Shinra,” Tifa replied. She almost allowed her memories to drift back, pulling forward a night of buildings going up in flames, hijacking a Shinra truck with her martial arts teacher—

Tifa shook her head. Remembering wouldn’t be helpful now.

“Well, what, then?” Barret frowned.

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Tifa glanced at the bacon, then flipped them over and went looking for another pan to make pancakes on. “He’s telling the truth when he says that he’s not a part of Shinra.”

Barret snorted. “I’ll believe it when I have some actual proof.”

The glare that Tifa sent him made him stiffen.

“Tifa! Daddy!” A little girl with short, dark hair and a pink dress appeared in the kitchen doorway. “Who’s he?” She pointed back to where Cloud was. “Is he a stranger?”

“No, he isn’t.” Tifa sent Barret a look as she flipped the pancake without looking. It landed in the center of the pan. She looked down at the girl and gave her an encouraging smile. “His name’s Cloud. He’s a friend of mine.”

The girl’s eyes widened. “He is?”

“Yup. You can go and get to know him if you want, Marlene. Cloud’s not dangerous. He actually helped me with the dishes last night. I’m surprised you didn’t see him then.”

Marlene frowned. “You mean…that wasn’t Kevin?”

Tifa wasn’t sure _why_ Kunsel had decided to go by _that_ name. “Unfortunately, no. That isn’t what he looks like under his hat.”

Marlene’s frown turned into an adorable scowl. “Why not? What _does_ he look like?”

“Only he knows.” Tifa’s smile turned a bit conspiratorial. “Some people say that his hair looks like a monster’s head, so he has to keep it covered up all the time so that he doesn’t scare people if they see him from behind.”

Marlene gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth. Barret snorted.

“Maybe you should ask him about it next time you see him,” Tifa suggested. “But that’s probably not going to be for a few days.”

Marlene nodded. “Okay. But _he’s_ not a stranger, but he’s not Kevin.” She pointed back at Cloud.

“No, he’s not a stranger _or_ Kevin,” Tifa agreed. “He’s Cloud. I grew up in the same town as him. You can ask him about some of the things he used to do, if you wanted to.”

Marlene’s eyes grew wide. She looked up at Barret as Tifa turned her attention back to the pancake and bacon. “Can I, Daddy?”

“Uh…” Barret looked between Marlene and Tifa for a moment, then looked back at Cloud. “Hm. Just make sure to ask nicely.”

“Okay!” Marlene beamed, then ran out into the bar as Tifa put Marlene’s breakfast aside and set to work on Barret’s.

“He’d better not bite her head off,” Barret muttered.

“He won’t,” Tifa replied.

“Even after you haven’t seen him for how many years again?”

Tifa pointedly ignored Barret as she broke a couple eggs into the pan and nudged the bacon off. “He hasn’t changed _that_ much.”

Barret grunted. “If you’re so sure. He’s not going to get my trust so easily.”

“You’ve made that very clear.” Tifa coated the eggs in spices that she knew Barret appreciated. “I haven’t gotten the coffee started yet; I’ll make sure to do that when the eggs are done.”

“Much appreciated.” Barret looked out of the kitchen.

“If you want to go over there and help Marlene with her conversation, that’s fine. Just don’t start any arguments _or_ fights with Cloud while you’re under my roof.” Tifa didn’t need to look up from her breakfast to know that Barret had taken her offer and moved away from the kitchen and into the bar proper.

She hoped that the two of them could at least be _civil_ in front of Marlene.

\----

Barret gave Cloud a stink-eye as he sat down next to Marlene and across from the maybe-Shinra-mutt. His daughter was keeping most of Cloud’s attention, but Cloud did take a moment to give Barret a guarded look as he continued his conversation.

“Tifa’s my only friend from back home,” Cloud said. “I didn’t spend much time with the others. Spent most of my time in the woods, hunting.”

“Hunting?” Marlene tilted her head. “Did you hunt monsters?”

Cloud leaned back in his chair a little and shook his head. “Can’t fight a monster when you’re a kid. I learned how to sneak around them. They don’t think to look for you when you don’t leave footprints behind. No broken branches, no scent – you’re not dinner.”

Barret’s expression went from being protective of Marlene to being more analytical as Cloud kept talking. Cloud was taking about things you didn’t learn in a city. Was this stuff that he learned when he was growing up? What kind of parents did he _have_ to encourage that?

“Do you think Kevin knows how to do things like that? He sneaks in and out of Tifa’s kitchen all the time, and nobody knows where he comes from!”

Cloud blinked, looking briefly surprised. Barret noticed how quickly he pulled that guarded, emotional mask back onto his face. “Hunters can do that to people sometimes too, yeah. Most people don’t have senses that are _as_ good as a wolf’s. Or a monster’s.”

“A wolf?” Barret frowned. Wolves liked living in forests, but Gongaga had too heavy of a jungle to work as a wolf habitat. They’d been more likely to live around Corel, before….

He pushed the thought out of his head.

“Yeah.” Cloud glanced at him. The look said a lot more than the rest of Cloud’s face – he was assessing Barret, like a predator considering another creature in its path. “Ran into them a lot back home. Learned how to take them down as I got older, but never a whole pack.”

Tifa walked out from the kitchen, balancing plates and carrying thee mugs of coffee – one for her, one for Cloud, and one for Barret. “I think your mother was grateful you didn’t come home with an arm missing.”

Cloud snorted as he accepted his mug, watching as Tifa set Marlene’s and Barret’s breakfasts in front of them.

“Can you teach me how to be sneaky?” Marlene asked. “If _you_ can be sneaky when you look like a chocobo, it should be easy for me!”

Barret almost chocked on a mouthful of coffee. “I’m – I’m sorry – _what?”_

“Please, Daddy? I wanna be able to sneak around and – and not be seen!”

Barret coughed and hit himself in the chest to help clear his airways. “Why – now why would you want to do that, baby girl? You don’t need to worry about that kind of thing. You’re not hunting monsters like the Neighborhood Watch, and you’re _definitely_ too young to start _that._ You’re not gettin’ any sneaking lessons.”

Marlene scowled at him, and while Barret knew she was mad at him, her cute expression made it _very_ hard for him to not smile at her.

“Not until you’re older,” Barret added.

Cloud’s expression looked more like a frown and less like a mask. “She’s—”

“Not everyone grows up in a backwater town with woods to go hunting in,” Tifa spoke up. Planet bless that woman for having common sense in this city. “Midgar isn’t where we grew up.”

Cloud’s frown become more pronounced, and he moved to take a drink of his coffee. “It’d help her know how to step quietly around people who might be less than kind.”

The words were muttered, but they were loud enough.

Barret put his coffee aside and started to lean forward. “Now listen here, you—”

“Enough.” Tifa’s flat tone was enough to stop Barret in his tracks, and it was not just because of how strong Tifa was. “Guys, please, I do _not_ need fights breaking out under my roof.”

Cloud’s expression relaxed into his mask _immediately,_ which was a few moments faster than Barret settling back in his chair. Apparently, he had a fair amount of experience with Tifa, too. “Right. Sorry.”

“Just…if you two want to argue about something, don’t do it here? Please? And don’t come to blows over it, either. I don’t want to hear about you two fighting when we’re going to have to work together.” Tifa looked between them with a pointed frown.

Barret sighed. “Right. And I’m sure that SOLDIER boy over there has—”

Cloud slammed his coffee mug down onto the table. “I’m _not_ from SOLDIER.”

“Then why do your eyes glow?” Barret raised an eyebrow at him. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone who’s eyes glow other than a junkie, or a—”

“It was mako poisoning.”

Cloud’s voice was flat, but at the same time it was trembling with _something_ that Barret couldn’t identify. All the same, it left Barret sitting there with his mouth open, halfway through saying the words that had been on his mind since last night.

Cloud’s statement, _and_ the guarded look in his face, and the surprised, worried look on Tifa’s, completely wiped that out of his head.

“…oh.”

Barret still didn’t trust Cloud, but _that_ – that had given him an entirely different view of the bounty hunter Tifa and Biggs had dragged in last night.

Cloud stood from his chair abruptly. “You’re right, Tifa; I’m going to stay out of the bar today.” He glanced at her, then focused on Barret again, then turned and walked out without another word. The plate he left behind was almost licked clean, and the coffee was probably in a similar state.

Barret blinked a couple times, then sighed and rested his head in his hand. “I messed up, didn’t I?”

“You very well might have.” There was a bite in Tifa’s voice, if a person knew how to listen for it. She was very good at hiding that around Marlene. “Don’t…don’t tell the others about that. Please. I didn’t think he was going to say anything about it.”

Barret looked at her sharply. He hoped he didn’t have to say it, not in front of Marlene.

“Daddy? What’s mako poisoning?” Marlene asked.

That was _not_ the distraction he was hoping for.

Barret sighed, ran his hand over his head. “It’s, uh…you know how makin’ mako makes the planet sick right?”

“Uh-huh.” Marlene nodded.

“Well…you know how when people eat bad food, they get sick?” Barret waited for Marlene to nod again before he kept going. “Well, when a person gets exposed to mako, instead of having a bad tummy ache, they fall asleep, and they don’t wake up. Folks call that kind of thing a ‘coma.’ Means they’re still alive, they’re just not wakin’ up.”

Marlene’s eyes went wide. “And that happened to Cloud? Then how did he wake up?” She looked up at Tifa. “You’re his friend, right? Do you know?”

Tifa blinked sharply at the question. “It’s…it’s complicated. Most people don’t wake up, but I _think_ that some people’s bodies adapt to the mako in their systems, and it isn’t hurting them anymore. People like that are rare, though. Cloud’s…Cloud’s really lucky he’s awake.”

Barret caught the slight shake in her voice. It was starting to sound more likely that Tifa had known about this before Cloud had shown up in Midgar yesterday. But then the question was, how long had he been in a coma? And _how_ had he managed to wake up?

Maybe that ponytail at the back of his head would help as a measuring stick, but Barret wasn’t an expert on how hair grew. Maybe he could ask Jessie?

Tifa knelt down, so that she could be eye to eye with Marlene. “You can’t tell _anyone_ about what you know about Cloud, okay? What happened to him is up to him to talk about, not anybody else. Can I count on you to keep that secret?”

Marlene nodded. “I’m very good at keeping secrets.”

“I know you are.” Tifa smiled encouragingly. “Go ahead and eat your breakfast. I’m going to take these dishes into the back.” She grabbed Cloud’s dishes and retreated back into the kitchen quickly.

Barret watched her go with a frown. He didn’t know everything about Tifa, but he did know he was going to be seeing her and Cloud a little differently now. He still wasn’t planning on _trusting_ Cloud, but…

He sighed and set to his breakfast as Marlene chewed a huge mouthful of hers.

One thing was for sure, he _definitely_ wasn’t going to be calling Cloud a “Shinra mutt” anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Best way to stop a fight without coming to blows, and without making Tifa mad, is to tell the truth and let the fight stop short. It's gonna leave Cloud in a sour mood afterward, but at least Barret is rethinking some of his suspicion about Cloud.


	6. Junkyard Hunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for posting late! Unfortunately, it slipped from my mind this morning, so I'm getting it posted later than usual. I do not want this to happen often, believe me.

Biggs was walking towards Seventh Heaven when Cloud stomped out of it. He noticed the dark look on Cloud’s face and quickened his pace.

“Hey, Cloud! Good morning!” Biggs raised a hand in greeting as Cloud looked over and came to a stop. “Have a bad night? You look like you could use a couple mugs of something strong.”

“I’ve had breakfast,” Cloud replied flatly. “Got any missions?”

Biggs blinked. “Ah…not quite yet. I was planning on checking in on Tifa this morning before going to talk to Wymer.” He craned his neck slightly to get a look at the inside of the bar. What was it that had set Cloud off? It wasn’t Tifa, but then—

Ah.

“You ran into Barret this morning.” Biggs looked back at Cloud. When the other’s expression darkened further, Biggs sighed and shook his head. “Tifa will have a nice, long talk with him about that. He tends to speak before he thinks in the morning when he hasn’t had his coffee yet. He means well, but…well.” Biggs shrugged. “Sometimes he gets a bit overzealous.”

Cloud didn’t look happy, but he didn’t look ready to argue with Biggs on the matter, either.

“If Barret’s in there now, then Tifa’s probably fine and getting started on her normal morning. Barret doesn’t always eat breakfast at the bar with her, so if you want to keep going here in the mornings, you don’t have to worry about it getting ruined by him _all_ the time.” Biggs started towards Wymer and the monster kill leaderboard. “Marlene’s a pretty bright moment in comparison, though. You met her this morning, right?”

Cloud nodded as he fell in step next to Biggs.

“She’s the light of Barret’s eye. Win her over, and he _should_ come around to your side more quickly than otherwise.” Biggs grinned. “With Tifa’s help, I think you’ll be able to manage that.”

“Maybe.” Cloud inclined his head, then noticed something ahead of them and frowned.

Biggs frowned at Cloud’s expression, then followed his gaze and noticed the crowd that was starting to gather in front of the leaderboard. “Huh. Looks like Wymer’s getting the rest of the Watch together…wonder what’s going on. Hey, Wymer! What’s with all the extra hands this morning!”

Wymer’s head jolted away from where he had been talking to Wedge. “Ah! There you are – and you brought along the new merc, too! Good. We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

“What’s going on?” Biggs moved past a couple members of the Watch. He didn’t need to look back to know Cloud was following him. He was almost like a lost child trying to pretend to be someone cool. Except that he knew how to carry himself in the middle of a fight. “We got a sudden monster infestation somewhere?”

“A couple guys have gone to take care of the flight of drakes that showed up in the old factory, and they could use some help,” Wymer admitted, “but _this_ is a bigger issue. You know how sometimes the monsters are a little strange in the Junkyard?”

Biggs nodded. “We’ve got another one out there?”

“We’ve got _three_ out there – mutated guard dogs, tentacles and all. We need to put them down before they break into either our sector or the one next door.” Wymer nodded to Cloud. “We could use your help on this, too. This is an all hands on deck mission.”

“No problem,” Cloud replied.

Wymer grinned. “Good. We need more heavy hitters.” He clapped his hands together, getting the rest of the group’s attention. “Hey! Here’s what we’re going to be doing. We need to herd the monsters into one place and keep them away from the gates leading into our sector. We’re going to need a group to drive them back from the gate if they get too close, and we’re going to need a group to hunt down the monsters and kill them. I’m putting the new merc in the attacking group, since he did so well yesterday in the junkyard. Who else is going to help him attack the monsters, and who is going to stay in the back and make sure they don’t get through to our families?”

The members of the Watch around them quickly moved to either stand next to Cloud and Biggs, or move to the other side of the clearing in front of the porch. Biggs noticed Wedge move to the other side and wave a little sheepishly, but he nodded back and shrugged.

“Wedge would probably only work best as a distraction if he came with us,” Biggs remarked to Cloud. “Which could work, but we would rather he be alive at the end of the day, not covered in bite marks.”

Cloud nodded. “Does this kind of thing happen often?”

“Not that often. Wymer said there’s a chance we’re sitting on top of some abandoned Shinra lab, but no one’s ever been able to find so much as an air vent, so we don’t know for certain.”

Cloud’s expression shifted as soon as Biggs said “lab.” He almost raised an eyebrow in response, and stored that information away for later. It likely meant that Cloud'd had some brief experience with that.

Wymer stood back and watched as the Watch separated into two uneven groups. There were more planning on hunting the monsters than there were standing back, but that was fine. It meant that people could run back and join the defense line if they needed to. Biggs was sure he would end up joining with the defense line sooner rather than later – shooting monsters worked better from a distance than up close.

“All right!” Wymer grabbed his rifle from behind him. “Let’s go and hunt some monsters. I expect you all to pull your weight, and whoever lands a killing blow on one of those monsters gets drinks on me tonight!”

The Watch shouted in response, then started for the gate leading to the junkyard. Cloud and Biggs fell into step with the rest of them as Wymer joined them.

“Biggs fill you in on where we think these monsters are coming from?” Wymer nodded to Cloud.

“Yeah.” Cloud’s eyes narrowed. “Finding where they’re coming from would be a good idea.”

“Yeah, but we don’t have the manpower for it. Even if you’re here to help lighten that load, the Watch is only a volunteer force. We don’t have the numbers or the technology we’d need to properly stop up wherever these things are coming from.” Wymer huffed in annoyance. “If I could, I would have sent everyone out to collapse the place a long time ago, but we’ve got other problems to worry about.”

“Mm.” Cloud nodded.

“So don’t worry about looking for the lab on your own – not yet, anyway. We’ve got enough problems that the best we can do is manage the monsters as they come.” Wymer nodded to Cloud and Biggs, then moved to the front of the group as they reached the junkyard’s gates.

“It wouldn’t be a good idea to look for that kind of place alone, anyway,” Biggs added. “Who knows what kind of security they would have down there. They could be just releasing the animals instead of them sneaking out for all we know.” He nodded to Wedge as the Watch separated into two groups, leaving the defensive line behind.

Wedge waved back, then held up his gun and prepped it to fire.

“It would fit with what they’re known for.” Cloud squared his shoulders as one hand twitched, like he wanted to reach up and swing his sword off his back right that moment. They were still in the middle of a number of other Watch members, however; if Cloud pulled his sword off now, he’d slash the person behind him.

“So you think those rumors are real.” Biggs frowned. “The rumor that they created the monsters that run rampant around here.”

“It makes sense to me.”

“And anyone else who would want to believe some of the conspiracy theories,” scoffed another member of the Watch. “Monsters have been around for a long time. Do you really think that Shinra could have made _all_ of them?”

“Not all of them.” Cloud looked over at the Watch member. “Just enough of them.”

The Watch member blinked. “Uh—”

Wymer gave a shout from the front of the group. “Hey! Spread out and start hunting! We need to drive the monsters in a single space so that we can take them out. Go out and start looking for them!”

The Watch members came to a stop and looked at each other, then started to split off into groups of two and threes as they disappeared into the pillars of stone and piles of metal scrap that were scattered around. Wymer joined up with one of the other groups, making it a group of four as he clicked the safety off on his rifle.

“Mind if I stick with you?” Biggs raised an eyebrow at Cloud.

“Do what you want,” Cloud replied. “Just don’t shoot me in the back.” He grabbed his sword and swung it around in front of him. He held it in one hand at his side, then looked around and started down one of the maze-like paths.

Biggs jogged to keep up with him. “We’ve had three monsters show up at once a couple times before like this, but it’s usually been three doom rats working together, and they’ve been easy to deal with. Shinra-issue guard dogs have shown up before, but I don’t think we’ve had three at once like this.”

Cloud’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you telling me this?”

“You know that we’ve dealt with things like this before. Not identical, but similar.” Biggs pulled his gun out of his holster and cocked it. “Those monsters are probably going to show up soon. You ready?”

Cloud glanced at Biggs, then looked back at the path ahead of them. “Yeah. Let’s put those things out of their misery.”

That was an odd way to word it, but to each their own. A part of Biggs wondered what was going on in Cloud’s head, but he didn’t want to think about it. It led him in a direction that was not where he needed to be.

A single howl rose up from the junkyard, sounding nearby and far away at the same time. Cloud stopped faster than Biggs was expecting him to, and he took a few more steps before coming to a stop and looking back.

Cloud’s face was in the middle of pulling back into a guarded expression that made Biggs almost do a double-take. What was it that Biggs had missed?

“There they are.” Cloud hefted his sword and moved passed Biggs.

“They?” Biggs repeated. “I only heard one of them.” He moved to keep up with the merc, holding his gun at the ready in case one of the guard dog monsters came around the bend and tried to catch them by surprise.

“They howled at the same time,” Cloud said. “You didn’t notice?”

“They _what_ _?”_ Biggs looked at Cloud with a wide-eyed expression. “What kind of hearing do you _have?”_

The howl went up again, and the sounds of shouts and gun shots started going off all over the junkyard.

“Better than yours, apparently.” Cloud moved his sword from one hand to both as they came across a T-intersection of paths.

Some of the gunshots were louder in this direction, so Biggs doublechecked his weapon and let his finger rest in front of the trigger – not against it, not yet.

“I used to hunt wolves all the time as a kid; I know how to count when they howl like that.”

“Hunting—” Biggs cut himself off before the he could turn into a parrot. “That is some childhood. But did they howl at once like that?”

“No. It was always a call-and-response.”

That was even more ominous than when they’d _heard_ the howl.

Cloud and Biggs stepped into the intersection as something snarled nearby; a few men yelped and shot again as the monster snarled.

“There you are.” Cloud turned to the left and broke into a run.

“Hey, wait!” Biggs scrambled after him and tried to keep up, but Cloud was moving so quickly that he was doubling the distance between them. For a man who wasn’t a part of SOLDIER, he definitely had the mako enhancements needed in order to _look_ like one.

At least Cloud wasn’t bigger than he was as a result; Biggs was able to get a pretty good view of what it was they were up against.

The guard dog looked like he was one of Shinra’s usual breeds: the big, muscular kind with the strange tentacle affixed to the back of its head like some kind of antennae. Except that these antennae could move like a whip and sting you pretty terribly if you let one of them get close enough. However, that was where the similarities ended: instead of a deep black, this mutt was a sickly pink-white, with eyes to match, and it looked to be even _more_ musclebound than the usual mutts that followed Shinra soldiers around.

Not to mention it was biting the air around the men, like there was something in front of it that none of them could see.

“Careful!” one of the Watch shouted – a young man named Ben. If he was still a teenager, Biggs could have teased him over his tousled brown hair and how it made him look like a movie star. “We’ve shot this thing full of lead and it hasn’t gone down yet.”

The dog snarled and turned in Ben’s direction. The tentacle on the back of its head lashed towards him.

Cloud was already swinging his sword before Biggs could raise his gun to shoot at the monster. One of the green materia in the blade flashed, and ice crackled up the weapon before the blade connected with the tentacle, slashing through and leaving behind a frozen stump.

The dog _howled,_ and a second later two more howls joined in, discordant and overlapping, rather than at once.

“ _Now_ I can hear them,” Biggs remarked.

“Watch my back.” Cloud readied his sword as the mutated mutt turned to stare him down. “The other two are going to try to make their way here.”

“How do you know that?” Biggs raised his gun and pointed it at the snarling dog in front of them. Somehow, it looked pained. He assumed it was because Cloud had chopped off a part of it. “As far as I know, they could have just been hurt at the exact same time.”

“Not when they knew to howl in unison like that.” Cloud shifted his feet, holding his large sword in more of a lunging stance. “I’ll take this one. Watch for the other two.”

“S-sure!” Ben gulped. He backed away from the fight that was going to start, the two other members of the Watch doing the same.

Biggs was about to say something, but Cloud moved before he could so much as get a word out.

The sword moved forward, but the mutt stumbled to the side to avoid the sword and lunged. The snarl it made sounded pained, but then that noise was joined by two other disjointed, identical sounds coming from either side of the group.

“The other two?” Biggs turned, reluctant to put his back to the fight that Cloud was in the middle of. It was starting to turn into a sort of dance between dog and merc, barely dodging attacks from each other and attempting to catch the other by surprise.

Shouts and gunshots rose up from between the piles of garbage and pillars of stone, and Biggs turned fully as another mutated dog ran up from behind him, followed by a part of the watch. It would have lunged at him immediately if he didn’t have his weapon primed and ready.

Biggs’ shot got the monster in one of its eyes, stopping its lunge for a few seconds.

The mutated mutt writhed in pain, its still-intact tentacle waving around in response. Then the monster snarled sent the extra limb whipping round to smack Biggs across the chest.

Unfortunately, Biggs did _not_ have the same kind of reflexes that Cloud did; he took the attack and winced as the barb on the end broke through the shoddy armor he was wearing.

There was a stinging sensation; the monster had broken through his skin, but only a little. That was going to hurt for a while.

“Take these things down!” Wymer yelled from behind Biggs. “We’ve got them cornered!”

Biggs hissed through his teeth as the other members of the Watch started shooting the dogs. “Easier said than done. These things look tough.”

The monster in front of him whirled and snarled at Ben and the other Watch members. Ben looked uneasy, but held his gun steady and pulled the trigger. The shot grazed the monster, which made it snarl more loudly. The sound was followed by two identical ones from the other mutts.

Biggs heard Cloud shift behind him. “Not if you know how to handle them.”

Cloud raised his blade and _swung_ as the monster in front of Biggs attempted to throw its tentacle towards Ben and the other Watch members.

The squelch of metal-on-flesh was only heard for a second; the howling that followed completely drowned out everything else.

Biggs winced at the dissonant noise as the mutt between himself and Ben’s group threw its head back and started seizing. The tentacle appendage writhed and lashed in multiple directions, but never far enough to break someone’s armor or sting into their flesh. It was definitely the last thing that Biggs had been expecting.

The mutt hadn’t even seen the other one get hit; how was it responding like that? And so quickly?

“Hey!” Cloud barked. “Take them out, while they’re disoriented!”

Biggs shook his head, pushing his shock back for now. He could dissect what he was seeing later; they had monsters to kill.

He raised his gun and started firing as quickly as his trigger finger and weapon could manage. The rest followed suit, as the monsters writhed in pain and only got louder over the course of the shoot-out.

When the monsters dropped and the echoes of the howls faded from the air, Biggs shook his head and lowered his gun.

“What the hell _was_ that?” Ben asked. “That – those things didn’t act like normal Shinra mutts.”

Biggs looked around, and finally noticed what had happened to the mutt Cloud had been fighting. He couldn’t help but stare at the mutilated remains of the monster in question. “How did you manage to _cut its head off?”_

“It’s easier when it doesn’t have this thing.” Cloud nudged the severed tentacle limb with his foot, then placed his sword back against his back. There was a lot of blood on the metal, and it looked like it was going to be a pain to clean. Some of the gore ended up stuck in his long ponytail, which was also probably going to be a pain to clean.

“There had to be a lot of muscle in the way.” Biggs was impressed – Tifa has a _very_ strong friend – but before he could say anything more the stinging where he’d been hit came back with a vengeance. He winced in response and looked down at the broken line in his armor. “I should…probably get this looked at. No telling what those things were armed with.”

“Someone get Biggs back to the medics in town!” Wymer called from the other side of the passage. “The rest of us will wait here until these things dissolve into the Lifestream, just to make sure they won’t come back.”

Ben moved forward immediately, stepping over the monster corpse between him and Biggs. “Come on. I don’t think I want to stick around these things any longer than we have already.”

“You and me both.” Biggs nodded, then started down the path he and Cloud had taken to reach the intersection. Ben followed behind him, almost hovering. “I don’t think I’ve seen monsters fight like that before.”

“Yeah. It was like it was biting at thin air – do you think something was done to their brains?”

“More than likely.” Biggs winced as the thin wound stung again. “You never know when it comes to what Shinra is up to, though.”

“Yeah.” Ben frowned as they left the passage and moved up to the gate leading out of the junkyard. He waved at the figures standing in front of the gate. “Hey! We took care of it. Anybody got a Restore? Biggs took a hit from one of them.”

“Maybe a Heal while you’re at it,” Biggs spoke up. “Never know what those tentacles are tipped with.”

“I’ll run to the bar!” Wedge turned and ran off as the rest of the remaining Watch moved out of the way to let them past.

“You really took care of them?” one of the Watch asked.

“Cloud killed one by himself; we took down the other two.” Biggs nodded, then winced again. Breathing was causing the wound to react with slight stings of pain, but he wasn’t noticing any numbing of any kind. Not yet, at least.

Another Watch member whistled. “Wow. Looks like we got one of the good mercs. Hope he sticks around.”

“I think he will.” Biggs offered a grin as he and Ben walked into the city and back towards Seventh Heaven, where Wedge was already heading.

“If we keep having problems like that, I hope that we get _more_ people like him,” Ben remarked. “He seems to have a lot of power, but he’s responsible with it, if he’s only going after monsters. I’d hate to think what could happen if he was told to go after people.”

Biggs thought of the remains of the mutated Shinra mutt, with its head sliced off by Cloud’s sword. That had been a clean cut, not a few sawing hacks. In order for Cloud to be that strong, his sword had to be able to keep up with his strength, too.

He hoped Cloud could let him have a look at it and see if it can be improved.

Tifa was already on the front porch of Seventh Heaven, two green orbs of materia in hand. She looked almost jumped off the porch as Biggs and Ben slowed their approach, a worried look on her face.

“At least it’s not that big of a hit.” Tifa relaxed a little as she gave the wound a quick glance. She held up one of the materia and frowned in a focused expression as it glowed in bright green light.

The burning sensation that followed in the scratch on Biggs’ chest made him want to wince, but he resisted. He needed to give Tifa a steady target to focus on, and moving around wouldn’t help.

The glow from the first materia subsided, as did the burning, and then Tifa brought up the other materia and held it over the scratch. Biggs felt his skin itch as the wound stitched itself back together.

Tifa sighed and lowered the material “All right. I’m going to go have a look at the rest of the Watch and make sure no one _else_ was hit. Can I count on you to keep an eye on the bar until I get back?”

“Sure.” Biggs gave Tifa a loose salute. “Ben, I could use a little help. Think you could duck into the back and handle any dish-washing Tifa might have left back there?”

“Yeah, I could—”

“Don’t worry about it.” Tifa offered a slight smile. “Someone _finally_ decided to show up.”

Biggs’ eyebrows shot up. “Really? Kevin’s back in the kitchen?”

“Yup _.”_ Tifa looked greatly relieved. “And I plan on putting him to work as much as possible. So make sure that you get him to make as many dishes as possible when lunch rolls around.”

Biggs snorted. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem. You see to everybody else – I’ll keep an eye on the place.”

“Thanks.” Tifa nodded, then turned to Ben. “Where is everyone?”

“Coming back from the junkyard – come on.”

Biggs watched Tifa and Ben run off, then turned and walked into the bar and was met with a small group of people gathered around the dart board in the middle of a game, and Wedge standing nearby with a nervous expression.

“Are you all right?” Wedge asked.

“Fine.” Biggs waved off Wedge’s worry. “Tifa got to me soon enough. I don’t think I’m going to have any problems because of a healed wound.”

Wedge sighed in relief and relaxed, then perked up. “We should probably eat something, then. You up for anything?”

“I’m sure we can get Tifa’s dishboy to make us something.” Biggs grinned, then turned his gaze to the kitchen doorway.

Sure enough, just as Tifa had said, Kevin was standing in the doorway, hands on his hips, with his usual hat and glasses obscuring his hair and eyes. Biggs wasn’t sure _why_ Kevin insisted on wearing those sorts of things, and rumors circled throughout Sector 7 about what was hiding and why Kevin was hiding it.

He never confirmed or denied any of them.

“Hey, Kevin!” Biggs waved as he took a stool at the bar counter. “I just fought a very difficult monster out in the junkyard, and I could use something to regain my strength.”

“Really?” It wasn’t hard to imagine Kevin raising an eyebrow. His voice did it well enough. “You don’t normally hear that sort of thing coming from you.”

“Well, it was a pretty difficult one this time. If it weren’t for the new merc in town, I’m pretty sure we would’ve been a lot more beat up than we were.” Biggs grinned.

“New merc?” Kevin inclined his head. “Mind telling me more?”

“Give me my meal first, and we’ll have a deal.”

Kevin snorted. “All right. One meal, coming up.”

He disappeared into the kitchen, and Wedge settled onto the stool next to Biggs.

“Any reason why Kevin was surprised about the merc?” Wedge frowned. “You’d have thought that word would have spread through the whole sector.”

“He’s probably been up to something that’s kept him away from everyone else for a while.” Biggs frowned. “But _where_ is something else entirely.”

“Yeah. Think the rumors might…?”

“I’m not about to put _that_ much stock in rumors.” Biggs shook his head. “There’s no telling which one of those is true.”

“Well, _one_ of ‘em’s got to be.”

“Yeah, but which one are you gonna believe?” Biggs raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know about you, but I’d rather hear it from him myself.”

Wedge scratched the back of his head and frowned, but he didn’t opt to continue the conversation. Biggs figured he was planning on settling into thoughts of his own, so he rested his arms against the bar counter and waited for Kevin to come back.

If Kevin was interested enough in the information, then maybe he’d forgo making Biggs _pay_ for it.


End file.
